Felix Culpa
by advictorem
Summary: The first thing Thalia noticed was that she was naked. The second thing? She was surrounded by wolves. - Trans!Thalia. Could be considered a rewrite to my story "Born in the Purple." A different take on Son of Neptune. Thalia is sent as a bargaining piece to Camp Jupiter, Jason is sent to Camp Half-Blood. Eventual Theyna. Rating might change later on.
1. Thalia I

The first thing Thalia noticed was that she was naked. The second thing? She was surrounded by wolves. The third thing? She didn't remember anything besides her own name.

She should have felt scared, but the gaze of the large she-wolf before her, with deep chocolate red fur and cloudy silver eyes, prevented her from feeling anything but surprised interest.

Thalia felt the urge to cover her nude form, bare underneath the glare of the enormous beasts, and the night chill brought shivers but she clenched her jaw against the cold, staring unrelentingly into the she-wolf's eyes.

 _Do you know where you are?_

Thalia heard the words rasped into her mind, watching as the she-wolf's mouth curled as if she had spoken. Had she?

 _I am Lupa_ , the voice spoke again, and Thalia concluded as the she-wolf began pacing a short distance, back and forth, in front of her pack, that the wolf was actually speaking to her somehow. _This is the Wolf House, demigod_.

Thalia finally found her voice. It was deep and scratchy, like she hadn't ingested any water in thirteen years. "The Wolf House?"

Lupa seemed pleased by the sound of her response. _Here, you will prove yourself in battle. If you are strong enough to survive the impending trials, you will make your way to Camp Jupiter and join the Twelfth Legion Fulminata._

Camp? Why did that sound familiar? Had she gone to a camp before?

She digressed.

"Trials?" Thalia repeated. She rolled her back, causing the bones to rattle and crack, and she felt the sure strength of her own impressive muscle. Even though she was bare, weary, and out in the middle of nowhere, her body felt ready for anything Lupa was going to throw her way.

 _Rest, little pup, for now. At nightfall, we hunt._

Hunt?

Thalia almost remembered something. Had she hunted before? She shook off her thoughts, watching as most of the wolves dispersed. Two wolves stayed behind, settling down in the corner of the room, although Thalia really doubted it could be considered a house. It was mostly torn down, and crumbled bricks littered the floors. Moss climbed the walls, and it towered pretty high but it didn't look very sturdy. There was hardly any roof at all, and it felt like a cave more than anything else. She supposed the wolves liked that.

It didn't take her but a second to realize why the wolves had stayed behind—they were to watch her. Not that she would run away anyway. Where would she go? It's not like she could call up the friends she didn't remember and sneak off to some wild high school party.

Thalia didn't think she would be able to sleep, not while naked and critically watched by two hungry wolves, but somehow her eyelids snapped shut, and she was sent spiraling into Morpheus' realm.

 _She dreamed of the Wolf House. But…it was different, not exactly as it was. Thalia appeared nine years younger, an even younger boy balancing easily on her hip. His tuft of blond hair tickled her prominent nose, and she felt herself nearly sneeze. The dream felt too tangible, too vividly realistic to seem like a figment of her imagination. This was a memory, reeling on like film._

 _A disheveled blonde stood off to her left. If it weren't for the bags under her eyes and her strangely pallid countenance, she would've looked like a magazine cover. Her mother. Thalia felt a painful twinge in the deepest recesses of her unconscious mind. There was something dark in this memory, something she even possibly repressed in her past._

 _The kid in her arms tinkered with the punk rock buttons on her leather jacket, babbling and nearly snapping a few of them off in the process. She gently clutched his little fist, unable to retain her smile when he glanced up curiously, sky blue eyes twinkling._

 _She had a brother? What were they all doing at the Wolf House?_

 _Why wasn't her brother with her now?_

" _Alcaeus," her mother crooned. She seemed nervous, but it was hardly noticeable—a quick flex of her fingers, a millisecond shift of her pale blue eyes. Thalia apparently knew her enough to know the difference. "I forgot the picnic basket in the car."_

 _Thalia flinched at the sound of her birthname, but she accepted the keys to her mother's Mercedes, snatching them away defensively before the chill of her fingers could freeze her._

" _Give me Jason."_

 _Thalia narrowed her eyes. "I can carry both. I'm strong."_

 _Her mother smiled almost sadly, her eyes glistening the same way they did when she stared at Thalia's father. "I know you are." And the smile was gone, almost as if she never lapsed for a second. "Hand me my son."_

 _Thalia wanted to scream, wanted to throw the keys back in her face and demand that she fetch her own picnic basket, but she felt the guilt of her recent actions weighing on her heavily. They were supposed to have a nice day for once, a day without her mother drinking herself into a coma, a day without Thalia breaking anything in anger or acting out just to spite her._

 _She kissed Jason on the top of his forehead, reluctantly surrendering him to her shaky mother._

" _Lia!"_

 _Thalia tried not to smile. "I'll be right back, J. Just stay with Mom."_

Thalia clutched at her flat chest, jolting upright from her bundles of cloth on the grimy ground.

 _You're up early, pup,_ Lupa growled. _Good. Rise, and you will start your first hunt. And…little pup?_

Thalia cocked her head.

 _If you fail, you will become the hunted._

"Great," Thalia replied sarcastically, the smirk that adorned her lips even more wolfish than Lupa's. "No pressure."

Why wasn't she more surprised by the turn of events? She didn't remember her life from before, but she was pretty sure she didn't sleep naked with wolves on a regular basis.

Still, parts of this exchange felt familiar to her. She was accustomed to being tested, trained. Thalia saw flashes of gruesome creatures—all more threatening than the she-wolf before her. The idea of monsters, hunting, giant demigod-eating wolves seemed like home to her. She didn't even know how she instinctively knew what a demigod was.

If she was a demigod, that meant her father was a god. But who?

 _You have questions, Grecian,_ Lupa acknowledged.

Grecian? Of course. She was a Greek demigod. Her father was a Greek god.

"Who is my father?"

 _You will discover that soon enough, Thalia Grace,_ the wolf said. The way she said it—it sounded like Thalia was missing out on a hilarious joke. _When your father claims you._

Thalia's nose flared at the sound of her last name. "I've been here before."

Lupa's head titled, seemingly surprised. _Yes._

"Have we met before?"

Lupa snarled, and it was obvious to Thalia that share time was over.

Thalia grumbled curses to herself in a strange language, one that felt almost more natural to her than English. Ancient Greek. Lupa didn't look shocked, which told Thalia she was right.

"Can I at least get some clothes?"

 _You fight as you were born, as Romulus and Remus were brought to my cave._

"Seriously?"

Thalia knew it probably wasn't a good idea to roll her eyes at a giant wolf, but c'mon.

 _Is that insecurity?_

Her nose flared. She sprung to her feet. "What are we hunting?"

Lupa raised her head. She already towered over Thalia by a foot. With Thalia's height, that was already impressive. Baring her fangs was mostly overkill.

 _Whatever you're quick enough to catch._

* * *

After catching various animals and monsters, wrestling wolves, surviving for a week in the woods by herself, doing so many pull-ups she could barely feel her arms, and challenging Lupa to a fight to a state of unconsciousness (which Thalia won, by the way), she finally had some clothes.

They were obviously a tad dirty, but they fit nicely; they were probably the clothes she had on before Lupa stripped her bare in the first place. The new additions featured a bronze bracelet, although it looked more like a bracer, emblazoned with gold snakes and Greek symbols, and a comfortable leather jacket.

She fingered the punk rock buttons, recognizing some of them from her dream. One stood out in particular—it was green with black, blockish letters that spelled: GREEN DAY. She almost felt something from that—but it flew out of her mind faster than she had ran the first time Lupa challenged her to a race.

Thalia's eyes blinked slowly, feeling a twinge in her head not unlike the beginning signs of a migraine.

 _You are ready, little pup,_ Lupa's expression almost looked proud. _Follow your instincts. They will lead you to Camp Jupiter._

Thalia felt like she owed this she-wolf a lot, even though most of her battle skills had simply been there, not too far from the surface. She was obviously already built like a fighter, and perhaps like a long-distance runner, but Lupa had forced her to _remember_ her abilities.

All she said was: "Thanks for not making me go to camp naked."

Lupa smirked. _Goodbye, little pup. Bring great honor to Rome._

Rome?

"I thought I was Greek?"

Lupa seemed to find most of the things she said hilarious. _You are the piece that unites them. Bring honor to Rome, and you will bring peace between your camps. You must be on your way. Time is running short, Thalia._

"Bye," Thalia muttered, hating how no words seemed to clear her confusion. What did Lupa mean?

It didn't take long for her to reach civilization, which she thought was pretty weird. She had been living naked in the woods for about two weeks, and she had seen no signs of human life. Now, glaring headlights blinded her as the driver honked her out of the way.

Thalia glared, and the honks ceased almost immediately, and the driver—a balding man in his forties—stared on as she worked her way across the street. She entered a quaint little travel stop, sneaking a tourist map into the inside pocket of her leather jacket. She eyed the cameras wearily, avoiding the lens as she picked up a few more crucial items—lip balm, snacks, a vanilla-scented car freshener—basically anything that would fit in her pockets. She thought the tree-shaped air freshener would be useful in masking her scent from monsters.

"Welcome to Glen Ellen," a voice startled her. Thalia turned to face a girl about half her height, smiling invitingly and handing her a complementary brochure. "Town of Jack London."

"I thought the Beatles were from England or something."

What were the Beatles? Why did she just say that?

The girl laughed awkwardly. "No, that's John Lennon." Her nametag caught the sun, bringing it to Thalia's attention. _Lamia._

"Oh," Thalia managed a short, embarrassed laugh. "Well, I just stopped in to find out where I was. I have to hit the road now."

Lamia titled her head to the side, smiling almost cruelly. Her entire body language shifted. "You aren't going anywhere, demigod."

Sharp fangs glinted in the dimmed lighting. They were much dirtier than Lupa's had been, like Lamia had never owned a toothbrush. Thalia's eyes widened as she watched Lamia's face distort, eyebrows drawn together irregularly, and nose scrunched high. Lamia's skin was now a pasty gray and her gums were bleeding, bright red, from where her fangs had broken through.

Thalia didn't know why, but something whispered in her mind: _Aegis!_

"Aegis?" she repeated confused, and nearly lost her balance as the bracer on her arm spiraled out into a bronze shield.

Lamia retreated slightly at the sight of Medusa, emblazoned on the surface.

Thalia couldn't help her smirk. She loved this shield already.

She was shaken out of her admiration by Lamia clawing at her with her long talons. The lapse in attention had given the monster the opportunity she needed to knock Thalia to the ground.

Lamia climbed on top of her, hunching like a starving hyena, her fangs drooling and baring at the sight of Thalia's vulnerable neck.

"The Ichor flows strong in your veins, demigod," Lamia complimented. Well, Thalia thought it was a compliment, anyway. "Do you bleed gold, Thalia Grace? The power…"

 _CLANG!_

Aegis met Lamia head on, shoving her off Thalia with surprising force. It was admittedly rude to cut her off in the middle of her sentence, but Thalia had a strange feeling that she had never been one for manners.

Thalia hurried to her feet and rushed through the small aisles in such of something, anything, to plunge through Lamia's head.

 _Ah-ha._

By the time Lamia charged again, Thalia was ready for her. The triple cut nail file bulged from her eye socket, angled upwards into her brain—where Thalia assumed her brain to be, as she didn't think she studied monster anatomy in her past life. The monster erupted into yellow dust in front of her tired eyes.

Thalia let out a long, relieved breath, placing her hands on her hips as she tried to steel her nerves. That was...unexpected. She glanced around. Well, at least now no one would be there to watch her steal a backpack.

* * *

"Please, try the Cheese 'n' Wieners!"

"I don't like cheese weenies!"

Thalia took the time to stop in her running, swiftly leaning down to the ground and chucking a sizable rock at one of those vile snake women.

She might have just made it angrier. She realized there was no place to go but—

Thalia froze. "Down?"

She swallowed, glancing down. It was a large hill, and a far, far way down. She wasn't sure if she could do this. She was going to die. Her body would be piled on top of rubble, bloody and completely appetizing to those damn Gorgons. Oh, gods, oh, gods, oh gods.

Her head felt like it had been beaten to a pulp. She grabbed at her skull, seeing rapid images flashing through her mind.

 _She saw a blonde girl, face etched in worry. They stood inside a spacious tree-house, overlooking a backyard. There was a swing-set, a deflated basketball on the porch steps in the distance, a bunch of little squirrels rummaging around for fallen acorns—the makings of the American dream backyard._

 _Only problem? There were no stairs to the tree-house. The ladder rested on the ground in a sad heap, seemingly broken in a few places._

" _Look at me. Thalia, look at me." She grabbed Thalia's face, pulling until they were inches apart. "You're going to be fine. This is nothing, okay? We're gonna get you a big, warm cheeseburger after this, I promise."_

" _Annabeth," Thalia had stressed the name. "I'm going to need about thirteen after this."_

 _Annabeth. Annabeth. Annabeth._

" _Jump, Thalia. Take my hand."_

She nodded to the girl in her memory, composing herself. She had wasted enough time already.

Thalia shook in place dramatically, shaking her hands out. She activated trusty Aegis, placing it on the grass with great care. "Okay, Thalia, it's just like a slip-and-slide."

Or possibly a slip-and-die, but she might die either way.

"Cheese 'n' Wieners!"

"No!" Thalia yelled back defiantly just as she plummeted off the hill.

She shot out on the wind, feeling the grass of the hill just barely brushing her skin. It might have been in her head, but it felt like the wind carried her down. Her landing wasn't so gentle. She glided over the highway completely and landed in a bunch of bushes just past it.

Thalia glanced up the hill to see Stheno and Euryale snarling at her, throwing possibly poisoned wieners. One hit Thalia in her forehead and she just barely kept from shouting curses.

"Stop throwing wieners at me!" she shouted, watching as the two sisters were fighting over the dish, obviously planning on sledding down on it.

Thalia was getting out of there before one of them won.

"Medusa killer! Medusa killer! Eat the wieners!"

Medusa killer? What were they talking about?

Remembering Aegis at the mention of their Gorgon sister, Thalia hefted Aegis back on her arm and started to edge further away. She felt the tugging in the back of her brain, pointing her in the right direction. She was close to Camp Jupiter, she just knew it.

Her eyes found it. On the outside, with the Mist, it looked like a normal maintenance tunnel, cut into a cliff that disturbed the busy highway. There was a metal door, making it look more like a war bunker to Thalia. As she squinted, she could make out two figures, both of them clad in a dreadful combination of armor and casual wear. They had weapons. Thalia felt a strange, violent chill. This was dangerous.

"You're right, of course."

At first, she thought one of the monsters had caught up to her and she cursed herself for her attention span. The sight that greeted her was not any prettier.

It was an old woman, that looked like she had worn that tie-dye dressed for twenty years without washing it once. Her hair was light brown and frizzy, like her hair was scared of her scalp. Her skin was speckled with age and her mouth was only occupied by three teeth and a thin, dark tongue. Thalia only knew that because of how wide the hippie woman smiled, like she wanted her to see every grotesque nook and cranny.

"Do I know you?" Thalia asked, probably a little too sarcastically. "Look, if you're just about to turn into one of those things, go ahead and save us both the trouble and get ready to turn into dust instead."

The hippie woman cackled. For some reason, it made Thalia feel annoyed rather than scared. "You do not scare me. And you do not have much time, Thalia Grace. Choose now."

"Choose what? Who are you?"

Something about this woman really unnerved her, and it had little to do with how rancid she smelled.

"Oh, you can call me June," she said, obviously amused by her alias. "It is _June_ , isn't it? They named a month after me!"

"Look," Thalia cut off her egotistical rant. "If you're not a monster, you should get lost. Those Gorgons are after me, and it won't be pretty if they catch you."

"Oh, you are ever the strapping hero," June commented sarcastically, not at all phased by the threat of monsters. "But, child, that is part of your choice."

"My choice?" Thalia repeated, incredulous.

She glanced back up the hill. June was right. She didn't have much time. The Gorgons had shredded off their green super-mart vests and revealed their tiny bat-like wings, which were somehow mighty enough to support them in the air as they soared down the hill.

"You can leave me at the mercy of the Gorgons, and you can escape the hardships that lie ahead, but you will never get your memories back."

Thalia's fists clenched. So, this woman had something to do with her memory loss? "Option 2?"

June shrugged. "You carry me to camp."

Thalia glanced back at the Gorgons who were quickly approaching. She turned back to size June up. She looked a little on the heavy side, but nothing Thalia couldn't carry. But still…she had just traveled seventeen hours to find camp, without taking many breaks along the way. Exhaustion coursed through her bones and terrorized her muscles.

Thalia's eyes narrowed. "Why would I help you?"

"Even without your memories, you are ever so thoughtless," June huffed. "It is a kindness! And if you don't, the gods will die, the world we know will perish, and everyone from your old life will be destroyed. Of course, you wouldn't remember them, so I suppose it won't matter."

Everyone from her old life?

Annabeth, Jason, that's all she remembered. But that was enough.

"Suck it in, June," Thalia muttered, preparing her muscles as she hefted June into her arms. She wasn't sure if June was lighter than she expected or if Thalia just had more energy than she thought.

"Clever demigod!" Stheno cackled. "Found a goddess to carry, did you?"

A goddess? Thalia glanced down at June, practically tasting her sour breath. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. What was June a goddess of? The goddess of trash?

Euryale's voice followed, "Get them! Buy one get one free!"

They were almost there.

As Thalia came into view, one of the Roman legionnaires, a stocky guy, aimed his bow and shouted. She was getting ready to dodge when she heard an arrow whiz past her ear. It caught a Gorgon in the arm, causing it to wail in pain. The other legionnaire gestured wildly with her spear, urging Thalia to move faster. Yeah, easier said than done.

Thalia finally reached the door, letting out a sigh of relief as the boy got Stheno in the eye just as she was about to munch on her shoulder.

"Thanks," she remarked. "Nice shot."

"That should've killed her!" the archer protested.

"Frank!" the girl caught the archer's attention. "Get them inside. Now! Those are Gorgons."

Frank swallowed. "Gorgons? Will the door hold them?"

June cackled loudly, almost causing Thalia to drop her. "No! It won't! Onward, Thalia Grace! Through the tunnel and over the river!"

"Thalia Grace?" the dark-skinned girl repeated, like that should've meant something to her and Frank. "Definitely a demigod. But who's—"

"My grandma," Thalia answered.

"Never mind," the girl muttered. "Get inside, I'll hold them off!"

"Hazel," Frank said. "Don't be crazy."

"Go!" Hazel yelled.

Frank cursed in a language Thalia didn't recognize. It sounded old but…not Greek.

As they ran deeper into the hillside, it stopped looking like a typical maintenance tunnel and started looking more like Roman ruins. The cement floor changed to tiled mosaic and the lights turned to reed torches. Hundreds of yards ahead, Thalia could barely make out a yellow blob, which she decided must be daylight. A light at the end of the tunnel. That couldn't be a bad thing, right?

June got heavier with every step. It was like weight training. Every step, another weight was added to the bar. Was this some kind of test? Of strength, patience, resolve? She was pretty limited.

She wished she could get June to shut up and stop singing that Latin lullaby. Thalia only heard Hazel's warning yell before the entire tunnel shook and stones began to break away and crumble. Thalia dared to glance back. The back end of the tunnel was immersed in a cloud of dust.

Was Hazel okay?

"We're almost there," Frank assured.

"Almost to camp?"

"To Rome!" June said gleefully, throwing her arms in the air in celebration. Thalia got a whiff of her armpits and nearly puked. Even the tree-shaped car freshener she wore around her neck wasn't enough to ward off that smell. "All roads lead to Rome, darling."

They ran out into the sunlight and Thalia stopped in her tracks. Before her stood a bowl-shaped valley, miles and miles wide, dotted with smaller hills, forests, and patches of golden plain. There was a small, crystal clear river that cut in the middle of it all, stemming from a lake. Surrounding the lake were white marbled buildings, draped by red roofs. They all looked like national monuments. If they weren't so grand, Thalia might not have been able to tell what they were. Some places looked like palaces, fit for an emperor, and there was a replica of the Colosseum looming in the distance. It was like Thalia had taken one step out of Berkeley, California, and one step into Ancient Rome.

The cluster of blurs that were closest to her? Some sort of military encampment, but she really couldn't make out some of the details. The encampment felt familiar, but not right. Had she come from a camp like this?

"Camp Jupiter," Frank said what Thalia had already deduced herself. "We'll be safe once—"

Hazel emerged from the tunnel, covered in dust from head to toe and nearly hyperventilating. Thalia was impressed. She had killed the Gorgons about 43 times already, and it was no easy task.

"I slowed them down," Hazel panted. "But they'll be here any second." She glanced to Thalia warily. "They really don't like you."

Frank nodded his agreement. "I've never seen monsters angrier. They kept throwing weenies at you."

"I have to get across the river," Thalia interrupted, remembering her promise to June.

The old hippie clapped. "Oh, yes, please. I can't get my dress wet!"

Thalia wrinkled her nose. "It could stand to be washed."

"Hazel, escort Thalia across the river." It sounded more like a question. "Make sure the sentries don't shoot her."

Hazel nodded, ushering Thalia to the river bank. It wasn't a far distance to the other side, but Thalia didn't feel too comfortable with stepping in.

June noticed her hesitance.

"The water is not your friend," June remarked coyly. "But today, it will not be your enemy. This is the Little Tiber. It flows with the power of the original Tiber, river of the empire. This is your last chance to back out, darling. Artemis' blessing is a Greek blessing. The Tiber will wash away your immortality."

Artemis? Immortality?

She almost remembered something again.

Thalia was too tired to question it, but she understood it clearly enough. Some of her skills would vanish. What skills? That was the most important question, but she couldn't bring herself to ask it.

June smiled, but it wasn't entirely friendly. It looked almost forced. "So, what will it be? Safety, or a future of pain and possibility?"

Frank continued firing as many arrows as demigodly possible. Hazel was yelling at Thalia to hurry up and cross. Horns blew from the watchtowers, and Thalia eyed the legionnaires in interest as they began to organize, the sentries running to their mounted crossbows to begin their attack.

Thalia hefted June higher against her body, with her last bit of strength, and she stepped into the Little Tiber.

It chilled her instantly, like she was submerged in ice water, and she felt something drain out of her pores. It was instantly replaced with a new strength, though the water seemed to fight against her, becoming swifter like it was trying to rush her to the other side.

She got the hint.

Thalia stepped out of the river, allowing herself to drop June, and she nearly cried in relief as she felt her biceps throb. The gates to the encampment opened and dozens of armored legionnaires poured out, all headed towards her. She felt the short hairs on her head rise, felt the electricity crackle through her veins.

"Do not," June warned, looking very much like a scolding grandmother.

"I wasn't going to do anything," she muttered. "Just…they give me the creeps."

"That does not warrant electrocuting them."

"How did you know I could do that?" she asked. She had only done it once since she had woken up, when Lamia had somehow risen from ashes and attacked her a second time. Thalia had somehow summoned lightning and fried her into a shelf of toiletries.

June smiled like she was deciding whether or not to let Thalia in on some inside joke.

"Frank!"

Thalia turned at the sound of Hazel's scream.

Frank had been halfway through the river when the Gorgons caught him, stringing him up by his arms.

"Let him go!" Thalia shouted it, surprising even herself. "You want me so bad? Come and get me!"

Stheno and Euryale hissed, dropping Frank into the river below. She just hoped he crawled out before she did what she had to do.

Thalia held her hands out, feeling lightning crackle through her fingers, and she sent a blast of electric energy into the closest monster—Stheno. She disintegrated. Before her ashes could reform, Thalia sent another bolt of electricity, frying the grains of dust into the riverbed.

Thalia nearly collapsed from her use of power, but there was still one monster left. She couldn't give up. Not now.

June's pleased laugh was the last thing she heard before she sent a bolt through Euryale, frying her into nothing. The Little Tiber seemed to scatter their ashes, preventing them from reforming another time.

June's voice sounded different, but Thalia was too busy fighting unconsciousness to look at her. "That escort was lovely, dear. Thank you, Thalia Grace, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter."

"Thalia Grace?"

She managed to incline her head to see the boy who repeated her name in shock. She focused on him, as much as she could with her eyes drooping. He was a short kid, with shaggy black hair and beady black eyes. His skin was pale and ghostly, and he wore an outfit almost similar to hers—a brown leather aviator jacket draped over an all-black ensemble. His coal black eyes were large, surprised, trying to soak up her presence. He recognized her. She _knew_ him, but from where?

Thalia finally turned to look at June, somehow able to turn away from the familiar kid. June was shining, beautiful, clean, about 7-feet-tall, and finally looked like a real goddess. She looked about as fierce as Lupa, and she held a staffed topped with a lotus flower.

If Thalia thought the campers had looked at her in awe, she was wrong. The way they looked at June…

"Juno," a dark-haired girl acknowledged, bending her knee and causing all the legionnaires behind her to fall to their knees.

Thalia didn't follow their example. Juno…like Hera?

"I passed your test," Thalia said, placing her hands on her hips and facing Juno defensively. "Do I get my memories back now?"

"In time. If you succeed here at camp. You've made it here in one piece, which is a good start. Perhaps your father was right and there is hope for you." Before Thalia could retort, Juno turned to face the demigods. "Romans, I present to you the Daughter of Jupiter. For months, she has been slumbering, but now she is awake. Her fate is in your hands. The Feast of Fortune comes quickly, and Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in the battle. Do not fail me!"

Juno shimmered in a flash of gold and disappeared.

The dark-haired girl from earlier, who had been the first to acknowledge Juno, stepped forward. She was beautiful, built like a martial artist. She was thin but nimble, and she probably came up to Thalia's chin. Her eyes pierced Thalia, and they were a deep, fiery black, like the charred remains of a tree that had been destroyed by lightning. Her glossy black hair was bound into a single braid that swam down her back. Her skin was only a tad darker than Thalia's and her complexion was smooth, with the exceptions of a few battle scars here and there. Thalia thought she looked Hispanic, but she didn't have much time to wonder.

"So," the girl spoke for a second time. Her voice wasn't harsh, but it wasn't exactly friendly either. "A daughter of Jupiter, who comes to us with the blessing of Juno."

"I carried her for like a mile," Thalia interjected. "I should have more than her blessing. She could've at least bought me lunch."

The girl smirked, and it made Thalia feel pleased with herself, beyond reason. "I am Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion."

Thalia smiled for the first time in about three weeks. "Thalia. I don't have any of my memories, so I can't tell you much else."

"Hazel," Reyna directed, "bring her inside. I want to question her at the principia. Then we'll send her to Octavian. We must consult the auguries before we decide what to do with her."

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked, smile tumbling from her face. "Decide what to do with me?"

Reyna's hand flexed on the hilt of her dagger. Thalia could tell she didn't much like being questioned, but neither did she. "Before we accept anyone into camp, we must interrogate them and read the auguries. Juno said your fate is in our hands. We have to know whether the goddess has brought us a new recruit…" Reyna studied her, staring with such intensity it almost caused Thalia to blush. "Or," Reyna continued, her lips almost quirking into a hopeful smile, "if she's brought us an enemy to kill."


	2. Reyna I

**Chapter Summary** : Reyna knows Thalia's secret...but she isn't sure that Thalia knows it.

This one is mostly filler, but necessary to the plot. Some scenes were taken from Son of Neptune, but they have some differences. Enjoy.

* * *

Reyna didn't know what to think about Thalia, which was odd. She was usually a good judge of character, but this Thalia...she was like no one Reyna had ever met.

She was obviously powerful, but she was also rash and impulsive, and she wasn't sure if that was a good combination. According to some of her unnerved scouts, Thalia had tried to fight a couple of Lares that called her a graecus. What kind of hero would try to fight house gods? Reyna realized Thalia did very much fit the part—her complexion was dark with the black hair to match, and the way she held herself was a bit far from Roman. Thalia had that sort of _don't tell me what to do_ persona that the Romans weren't particularly fond of.

If Octavian did determine her as a friend of Rome, Reyna wasn't sure she was going to be a blessing in disguise. Something about Thalia pulled her in and shoved her away at the same time. And, if she were honest, Reyna had already gotten the urge to punch her.

Even yet, Reyna was by no means blind to the signs. There was something intentionally familiar about this demigod. There was a reason Juno had sent her. Thalia was to _unleash Death_. And there was something about those eyes—they weren't the shade Reyna was used to; they were like violent storm clouds in a night sky, a deep blue that not even the depths of the ocean could replicate.

She broken out of her thoughts by a set of heavy footsteps. She easily recognized them as Frank's.

Reyna prepared herself, straightening her back as she was greeted once more by the sight of Thalia. The demigod had been cleaned up a bit, and Reyna couldn't help but study her intensely for a second time. Thalia's hair was clean and curly, and Reyna saw even more of the Greek in her that she already had. Thalia's face was scrubbed to reveal the million freckles that had been hidden beneath the dirt, blood, and ash.

There was something ominous that caught her gaze next, though Reyna could not be sure why it irked her. Hugging Thalia's neckline was a necklace of colorful, clay beads, each with symbols on them that she didn't recognize.

"Frank, leave us," Reyna commanded, eyes flickering to her legionnaires. "Hazel, stay. I want your account of what happened at the gates."

"But, Reyna—"

"I'd remind you, Frank Zhang," she said, "you are on probatio yourself. You've caused enough trouble this week."

She watched Frank's ears turn red, and she almost thought he would argue, but he wisely thought better of it.

"Go to the armory," Reyna told him. "Check the inventory. I will call on you if I need you."

"Yes, Reyna," he grumbled and hurried off.

"Now, Thalia Grace, let's see if we can improve your memory."

Reyna led the girls over to the long wooden table in the center of the room, taking her seat at the head. She noticed, pleased, that Thalia hadn't taken that as an invitation to sit down. She followed Hazel's lead, standing in the presence of their praetor.

"Reyna, is it?"

Thalia's inquiry caused Aurum and Argentum, Reyna's trusted companions, to snarl.

Reyna thought her expression was funny, but she refrained from laughing. "Easy, guys," she warned them, reducing them to simply baring their teeth. "They won't attack. Unless you steal something, or I order them to. That's Argentum and Aurum."

"Silver and Gold," Thalia translated.

Reyna nodded, pleased that she had seemed to pick up on some Latin. She placed her dagger on the top of the table. It echoed in the room. Thalia seemed unaffected by the threatening sound.

"I want to hear your story. What do you remember? How did you get here? And don't lie. My dogs don't like liars."

They growled to confirm her statement.

"I just…I woke up at the Wolf House." Thalia said the words almost hesitantly, but her electrifying gaze never left Reyna. "I was naked, it was cold, I trained with Lupa. She told me to follow my instincts when I was ready, and they would take me to Camp Jupiter."

Everything sounded normal, but Reyna knew there had to be more.

"What did Lupa say to you exactly?"

Lupa always liked to leave Reyna little clues in her wording.

"She said…" Thalia's gaze drifted quickly to Aurum and Argentum, like she feared their response. "I would bring peace to the camp."

She was obviously withholding a bit more, but Reyna already heard what she needed.

"And you still have no memory?" Reyna clarified. "At all?"

Thalia shrugged. "I get these...flashbacks, but nothing is very clear."

Reyna spun her dagger thoughtfully. She almost hesitated to ask her next question, almost scared of the possible answer. "What did you remember?"

Thalia fidgeted. "I just...I just remembered people."

Reyna nodded. She expected this answer. But it looked like Thalia wasn't going to simply let go of her precious memories. She would let Thalia think she had an advantage. For now. "How did you find your way to Camp Jupiter?"

Reyna listened dutifully as Thalia revealed most of her story, going into great detail about how badly Juno smelled, and smiling sheepishly when the praetor pointed out her car freshener necklace. The demigod was really making a fashion statement. Reyna had to fight off an amused smile. "Here I thought you just liked smelling pine fresh," she said, taking secret joy when Thalia's neck flushed and slowly crept up.

Thalia muttered something about trying to mask her demigodly scent.

Hazel took her cue to speak up. "Reyna, you should've seen the way Thalia handled herself. She's powerful, and a really great runner. She carried Juno for at least a mile. Thalia is a hero, and she'd be awesome to have as a legionnaire."

Thalia swelled at the words, and Reyna noticed something else about her—she was too confident in herself. That could be dangerous.

"You're older than most recruits," the praetor acknowledged. "You're what—sixteen?"

Thalia shrugged. "Feels like it."

"If you spent that many years on your own, without training, you should be dead. As a daughter of Jupiter, you have a powerful aura that would lure in all kinds of monsters."

Thalia almost looked proud at the comment, but before she could brag on herself something flashed in her eyes and she gripped her head. Reyna nearly jumped from her seat. What was happening? Had she been hurt? The demigod waved her hands calmly after a moment, gesturing for the girls to stay. "It's nothing...just my head feels funny. I thought...I thought a memory was coming back to me."

What kind of flashback could cause that kind of reaction? Thalia looked like she had seen a ghost (which, admittedly, she had already cussed out a couple).

Reyna decided not to push. "You must have been somewhere before the Wolf House. Somewhere safe. Juno said you were slumbering."

"I'm sorry," Thalia offered, looking more desperate for answers than anyone did. "I wish I knew. I feel like I've been asleep, but..."

The sound of Reyna's chair legs moving across the floor interrupted her apology. She began to pace in front of the purple banners, bothered by this mystery of a girl more than she liked to admit. Reyna didn't like not knowing the answer; more than that, she hated not being able to recognize whether or not someone was her enemy. She truly couldn't tell with Thalia. The girl was heroic, obviously, most children of Jupiter had that kind of complex anyway, but she was undisciplined, maybe even a little cocky, and incredibly impulsive. Those weren't the qualities of a typical leader, but, with the way Thalia commanded attention, Reyna knew she had to lead something.

Reyna didn't want to admit it to herself, but in some ways, Thalia reminded her of Jason.

She closed her eyes tightly, urging her thoughts of Jason away. _Don't allow her to make you lose your focus._

"You come here followed by Medusa's sisters, who have not been seen in thousands of years, the Lares are disturbed by you and have started calling you a graecus. And you come to us wearing strange symbols. Your bracer, your beads, what do they mean?"

Thalia glanced at her bracer apprehensively, before meeting Reyna's eyes. It seemed like a warning. "Aegis!"

Reyna nearly dropped her dagger at the sight of Medusa. Hazel shrieked and jolted back, like she wanted to duck and hide from it. It instilled a sort of fear in Reyna, one she wasn't accustomed to or comfortable with.

"Put it away," Reyna commanded, and thought about punching her for a second time as she watched Thalia's eyes twinkle in barely-concealed amusement.

"As you wish," the daughter of Jupiter said, shaking her shield back into a bracer. "You were saying?"

"The symbols," Reyna said, overcoming her shock well before Hazel did. "Your beads, what do the pictures mean?"

Thalia noticed the necklace for the first time. The first had a pine tree, the second displayed dark, looming ruins that Reyna recognized all too well, and the third was the Empire State Building, engraved with a bunch of random names. The daughter of Jupiter fiddled with the first bead.

"A pine tree," she muttered, almost reverently, like she saw Elysium in the little bead. "I don't know what they mean, but this one...this one makes me feel something. I don't—"

Reyna hummed. "And what of your spear?"

Thalia made a very dumb face. "What spear?"

Reyna approached her, feeling tiny little sparks when she invaded her personal space. Just like with Jason. She bravely dug her hand into Thalia's jacket, pulling out a mace canister. She activated it in front of Thalia, watching as she jumped back from the unexpected reveal, and she shushed Aurum and Argentum when they began snarling.

"I had a spear this whole time?" Thalia's confusion quickly turned to suspicion. "How did you know about that?"

"What is that?" Hazel asked. "I've never seen a weapon like that before."

"I have," Reyna replied grimly. "It's very old—a Greek design. We used to have a few in the armory before..." She trailed off. "The metal is called Celestial bronze. It's deadly to monsters, like Imperial gold, but even rarer."

"Imperial gold?" Thalia, still in a trance by the sight of her own weapon. "That's what you have?"

Reyna brandished her dagger. "We used to have more weapons like this, but now...well, we scrape by. I use this dagger. Hazel has a _spatha_ , a calvary sword. Most legionnaires use a shorter sword, a _gladius_. But your spear is not Roman at all. Another sign you're not a typical demigod. And your arm," she said, reaching for it before Thalia could tug away. She rolled up the sleeve of her leather jacket. "You do not bear a tattoo. All full members of the legion have them."

Thalia studied Reyna's branding.

"So, you've never been a member of the legion," Reyna concluded.

Hazel leaned forward. "If she's survived as a loner all this time, maybe she's seen Jason." She looked up at Thalia hopefully. "Have you seen a demigod like us before? A guy in a purple shirt, with marks on his arm—"

"Hazel," Reyna's voice tightened in warning. "Thalia's got enough to worry about."

Reyna didn't miss the flash of recognition in Thalia's eyes. Had she met Jason? Was what Reyna suspected true?

Thalia accepted her spear back and touched the tip, transforming it back into a mace can. She tucked it back into her jacket pocket and patted it, like it was finally home. "Jason?"

Reyna made sure to glare at Hazel. She shouldn't have said anything. "He is...was my colleague. The legion normally has two elected praetors. Jason was our second until he disappeared in October.

"Eight months?" Thalia echoed, like she was upset with the answer. "You haven't replaced him? You've been running this by yourself?"

Was she doubting her ability as a leader?

"Don't take it the wrong way," Thalia said, apparently sensing she was about to be gutted as a sacrifice to Bellona. "You seem capable, I just...leading a group of fighters on your own seems a little..."

There was a ravenous gleam in her eye, one that Reyna recognized all too well.

Power-hungry? Maybe she would fit right in.

Reyna smirked. "Praetors are appointed one of two ways." She gingerly placed her dagger back in its sheath. "They are elected during the Feast of Fortuna." It was unlikely the Romans would knowingly accept Thalia enough to elect her. "Or, if they prove themselves worthy enough in battle."

Thalia's eyebrows furrowed. "They aren't chosen based on their godly parentage?"

Reyna's hand twitched. Just because she was the daughter of Jupiter Maximus, she had to be at the top of the food chain? Jason hadn't felt that way, had he?

Hazel gasped. "What a terrible idea."

"Terrible, indeed," Reyna said. "That would make for horrible oversights. Parentage has little to do with the ability to lead."

Thalia smirked, looking very much like the next words out of her mouth were going to be a stupid comment that could get her killed. She surprisingly dropped the subject, digging her hands into her pockets. It almost looked a little too innocent, like she was only doing it to unsheath a secret knife.

Reyna shook her paranoid thoughts off. "Hazel, take her to Octavian. Maybe she'll live."

As they left the room, Reyna released a breath she wasn't aware she had held captive between her lips. She had a million thoughts swirling around in her brain and, as calculating as she was, she couldn't pinpoint exactly _how_ she knew what she did. Sure, they were of an identical height, had the same starry twinkle in their eyes, the same strong jaw, but that could have just been coincidence. If it weren't for their shared last name and parentage, Reyna might have brushed it off. But there was no mistaking it now, especially after the look of recognition she had seen in Thalia's eyes.

Thalia _had_ met Jason before, because he was her brother.


	3. Thalia II

**Chapter Summary** : After tense conversations with Octavian the Godly Butt Kiss, Nico the Little Liar Boy, and Frank the Frankly Confusing Guide, Thalia is sorted into a cohort. And everyone else seems to think it's funny.

* * *

Thalia wasn't intimidated easily. In fact, it was close to impossible for anyone to accomplish. There were only two people who had done it, that she could remember: Lupa...and Reyna, the cold, calculated praetor of Camp Jupiter.

Even though she felt like she needed to report back to Reyna—how ridiculous, like Reyna was her praetor already—Thalia allowed Hazel to give her a tour of the grounds. Hazel explained how the cohorts worked, introduced her to some colorful characters that came very close to meeting the sharp end of her spear, and they currently stood overlooking Temple Hill. They walked the crooked stone path, side-eyeing most of the small altars and vaults. Thalia mindlessly munched on the muffin Hazel had scrounged for her, meeting the eyes of some creepy statues. They seemed to glare back. _You don't belong here! You can't sit with us!_

Thalia turned her attention back to her guide, staring in awe at the Temple of Bellona.

"Goddess of war," Hazel explained. "That's Reyna's mom."

Made sense. The place radiated a sort of unmistakable prowess, like the praetor did. But it also invited Thalia. She neared the threshold before she felt herself lightly tugged back down the steps.

"That's not such a good idea," Hazel said nervously. "I think you'll find the next temple much more your style."

The largest temple, resting towards the summit, shadowed by heavy clouds met her gaze. "Zeus."

"Jupiter," Hazel corrected. "But yeah, Zeus is his Greek name. Same guy. He's the most important god to Rome. That's where we will find Octavian. We can head inside. I'm sure Lord Jupiter would appreciate an offering, especially right now."

"An offering?" Thalia echoed. She searched her pockets for something worthy of a god. A couple denarii a Lares had tossed at her before he fled in fear to get her to stop threatening him, a tiny ball of lint, an empty bag of candy, and an old bunched up piece of paper. Only the best for Jupiter Optimus Maximus. She snickered, shoving them back into her pockets. "Sure, why not?"

Hazel nodded like she expected this answer, leading her through the entrance too dramatically for her liking.

The temple was just as enormous on the inside as it looked on the outside. They stood on marble mosaics, engraved with Latin inscriptions that she didn't understand. In the center of it all was a statue of the big man himself—her estranged godly father, and she could notice the scarily similar traits and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. There were a couple of things that she innately knew to be inaccurate.

"The master bolt doesn't look like that," Thalia commented thoughtlessly. "And he would never wear purple. He looks like the god of eggplants."

"What?" Hazel looked shocked, and it made her realize what she had said.

"I—I don't know how I knew that," she supplied helplessly.

"Maybe...are some of your memories coming back?"

That wasn't a question she felt comfortable answering.

Thalia shrugged. "Can you...give me a second with..." She gestured to her old man. "This guy?"

Hazel nodded understandingly, offering a small smile before she exited the temple. Thalia knew she lingered just outside of the entrance, probably leaning against one of the columns, but it was all the privacy she really needed. Thalia dug the denarii out of her pocket and placed it in the marble bowl at his sandaled feet. They jingled as they clattered against the abundance of offerings that already occupied the bowl.

"Why did you send your wife after me?" Thalia asked. "Maybe you would've been too heavy to carry all this way."

What was she supposed to start with?

Thalia let out a stressed breath. She crouched lower to the ground, rubbing her face in frustration at herself before beginning again.

"Who am I?"

She hadn't really expected an answer, so she didn't know why she felt her chest fall. Maybe she simply needed a better offering. She still held her half-eaten muffin. Maybe...

She glanced around for a brazier to burn it in.

It made sense to her, but apparently Romans saw no need to have a brazier in the temple. So, they just laid out their offerings in a bowl? Why did that seem so strange to her?

"I just want to know why I'm here, Dad," Thalia said, standing again, tossing her muffin into the offering bowl. She briefly thought about scaling the statue, climbing to the top of his head and beating it for answers.

"The graecus!" a high voice called from behind her. "The Senate would like to know that as well."

It wasn't Hazel. It was a boy about as thick as a toothpick, with strands of straw growing from his scalp. He was a sickly pale, and something about him triggered something in Thalia's brain...almost like he reminded her of someone from her past. Someone important. Someone dark, haunted.

Thalia flexed her fingers. The crazed look in his eyes made her consider activating Aegis. "Why did you call me that?"

"The auguries told me _the_ _Greek has arrived_ ," he replied easily. "Either that or _the goose has cried_ , so I'm assuming I heard right the first time." He narrowed his eyes. "You look nervous."

"I feel like I know you," Thalia spoke honestly, before she could stop and think about lying. "You remind me of someone."

He swelled. "Probably my namesake, Octavian—Augustus Caesar. Everyone says I bear a remarkable resemblance."

Yeah, and she looked like Disney Hercules.

She noticed he held a teddy bear in his hands. It drew her attention to the stuffing that surrounded the statue of Jupiter. She hadn't noticed that before.

"What's the bear for?"

Octavian's eyes gleamed proudly. "We used to read the will of the gods by examining animal guts-chickens, goats, that sort of thing. Nowadays, we use these."

Why didn't they just...ask the gods? What kind of backwards place was this?

Thankfully, Hazel interrupted at that point and began to tell Octavian the entire story—from the Gorgons, the words spoken by Juno, to the intense conversation with Reyna. He looked surprised at the mention of the goddess.

"Juno," Octavian mused. "We call her Juno Moneta. Juno the Warner. She appears in time of crisis, to counsel Rome about great threats."

The way he eyed her implied he was indirectly accusing her of being the said threat. Well, maybe he was right. Maybe she was a great threat to Rome, but she had a feeling that she was far from evil. She felt almost offended by his statement. Thalia tilted her head, scanning him up and down once more. She could certainly take him in a fight if she needed to. He met her own harsh curiosity with his own, smiling a crooked smile that looked more like a slice through his face.

"Juno mentioned the Feast of Fortuna. The gorgons said there will be an invasion on that day. Did you see that in your weird cotton ball ritual?"

Octavian sighed. "Sadly, no. The will of the gods is hard to discern. And these days, my vision is even darker."

"Can't you just, like, go to the gods and ask them?" Thalia questioned, confused. "Or, don't you have an Oracle?"

Octavian laughed like Thalia had just said she went grocery shopping in her underwear. "What a cute idea. First off, the gods don't associate with mortals and demigods for obvious reasons. I am the vessel in which the gods use to contact the Legion. Secondly, I'm afraid we're fresh out of Oracles. Now, if we'd gone questing for the Sibylline books, like I recommended—"

"The Sibylline books?" Thalia echoed.

"Books of prophecy," Hazel elaborated. "Octavian is obsessed with them. Romans used to consult them when disasters happened. Most people believe they burned up when Rome fell."

"Some people," Octavian corrected. "Unfortunately, our present leadership won't authorize a quest to look for them—"

"Because Reyna isn't stupid," Hazel filled in for Thalia, but Octavian was undeterred.

"—so we only have a few remaining scraps from the books. A few mysterious predictions like these." He motioned to the inscriptions on the marble floor.

Thalia was surprised when the translation floated into her head. " _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall_ —"

"Yes, yes," Octavian finished it without looking: "An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

For some reason, she knew that prophecy. Thalia felt a clench in her gut and felt the temple rumble. It took her a moment to realize, seeing the surprised looks on the Romans' faces, she was causing the thunder. "I know that one. It's important."

Octavian scoffed. "Of course it's important. We call it the Prophecy of Seven, but it's several thousand years old. We don't know what it means. Every time someone tries to interpret it...Well, Hazel can tell you. Bad things happen."

Hazel glared at him. Thalia was struck by how she blatantly stared at Octavian. She had been completely submissive and polite with Reyna. Wasn't Octavian important too? "Just read the augury for Thalia. Can she join the Legion or not?"

"Alas, Hazel, that is precisely why I had to run to New Rome and get this offering," he explained hotly, gesturing with the teddy bear. He narrowed his eyes at Thalia. "So inconsiderate of you not to bring your own."

Thalia had to bite her tongue before she volunteered to kill him and offer his body to Jupiter.

Octavian slashed at the teddy bear's belly, pouring its stuffing over the altar. He muttered words she could not hear, but she could tell they were in Latin. After a few long moments, he spun around with a smile.

"Good news!" he said. "Thalia may join the Legion. We'll assign her a cohort at evening muster. Tell Reyna that I approve."

Hazel finally relaxed. "Uh...great. Come on, Thalia."

"Oh, and Hazel," Octavian remarked slyly. "I'm happy to welcome Thalia into the legion. But when the election for praetor comes up, I hope you'll remember—"

"Jason isn't dead," Hazel snapped. "You're the augur! You're supposed to be looking for him!"

Her anger surprised Thalia. If this Jason was so important to every body, why had they not sent out a search party?

"Oh, I am," Octavian assured. "I consult the gods every day. Alas, after eight months, I have found nothing. Of course, I'm still looking, but if Jason doesn't turn up by the Feast of Fortuna, we must act. We can't have a power vacuum any longer. I hope you'll support me for praetor. It would mean so much to me."

"Reyna seems perfectly capable of ruling on her own," Thalia commented impulsively, pleased at how her words had startled Octavian. "Besides, we can't vote, we aren't 18 yet."

Octavian sputtered, and Hazel gave Thalia a look like _thank the gods we're on the same page, but you're ridiculous, Thalia Grace._

He replied haughtily, "After all, I might be able to help you. It would be a shame if those awful rumors about you kept circulating...or, gods forbid, if they turned out to be true."

Thalia's hand crept to the inside of her jacket, where she kept her mace canister. Was he...blackmailing Hazel? Thalia watched Hazel's face, expecting her to flash some kind of signal to let her know it was okay to stab Octavian. She received no such signal, and she almost sighed in disappointment.

Hazel's knuckles were white. "I'll think about it."

Thalia fixed harsh eyes on her. What? No!

"Excellent," Octavian said. "By the way, your brother is here."

Thalia almost thought he was talking to her. Her Jason was here?

"My brother?" Hazel's shoulders were stiff. "Why?"

Octavian shrugged carelessly. "Why does your brother do anything? He's waiting for you at your father's shrine. Just, ah...don't invite him to stay for too long. He has a disturbing effect on the others. Nice to meet you, Thalia."

Hazel stormed out of the pavilion, and Thalia begrudgingly trailed after her small, angry stomping. She wasn't sure she much liked Octavian, and him conducting his creepy business in her father's temple felt wrong. Shouldn't that have been her territory?

Hazel led Thalia to a hill. Built into the hill was a black crypt. What kind of shrine was this? Was this a shrine for Dracula?

The boy that Thalia had recognized earlier, with the dark clothes and even darker gaze, stood in front of the crypt, his eyes remained saucers at the sight of Thalia. He knew her. She knew that he knew her. She just hoped he wasn't about to lie to her about it, or she was going to have to call for Aurum and Argentum.

"This is Thalia Grace," Hazel said to her brother pointedly. "She's really cool. Thalia, this is my brother, the son of Pluto."

Pluto?

 _You know him, you know him, you know him._

The boy's eyes were back to normal, staring at Thalia normally, playing way too cool to be considered casual. "Pleased to meet you," he said, extending a hand. "I'm Nico di Angelo."

Thalia refused to shake his offered hand, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously. "I know you."

Nico raised his eyebrows. An act. A terrible act. For the love of Rhea, her mother had been a better actress than that—

Oh, not with the painful new memories again.

"Do you?" Nico asked, looking to Hazel for answers. Hazel looked suspicious of him as well.

"Thalia...she's lost her memory," she offered the words to her brother. "So, Nico, I thought...you know, you travel all over. Maybe you've met demigods like Thalia before, or..."

Nico's expression darkened, like a giant shadow passed over his face. It was obvious he wasn't revealing anything else he knew.

He changed the subject, reminded Hazel of some form known as Gaea. Mother Earth. Thalia had always assumed Mother Earth to be a good thing, but according to Nico she was a vengeful force that despised the gods and their children. He went on to explain some things that sounded scarily familiar to Thalia—Titans, war, he even slipped up and mentioned someone named _Kronos_ before he amended it to _Saturn_.

"The Romans at Camp Jupiter stormed his headquarters on Mount Othyrs, across the bay, and destroyed his throne. Saturn disappeared," he continuted, and Thalia noticed how intensely he stared at her, as if expecting her to remember something about this, but nothing was coming back to her. "We all thought the war was over. Now it looks like the Titans' defeat stirred up Gaea. She's starting to wake. I've heard reports of giants being reborn. If they mean to challenge the gods again, they'll probably start by destroying the demigods..."

Thalia nodded seriously, placing her hands imperiously on her hips. "Have you told Reyna this?"

"Of course," Nico said, but made sure to keep his annoyance at bay. Was he scared of her? "The Romans don't trust me. That's why I was hoping she would listen to you. Children of Pluto...well, they think we're bad luck."

"Hazel is the daughter of Pluto," Thalia mentioned suspiciously. "Reyna seems to trust her."

"That's different."

Thalia's head titled inquisitively. He wasn't cracking like she had hoped. "How?"

"Thalia," Hazel's voice somehow pulled her gaze away from the little liar boy. "The giants aren't our biggest problem. The thing you noticed about the gorgons, how they wouldn't die, _that's_ our biggest worry. Nico and I, we think that what's happening is...Death isn't—"

She was interrupted by a shout. It was Frank, barreling towards them, the lapels to his denim jacket turned up a little dorkishly.

"Hey," he greeted when he reached them. He faced Thalia, bending and placing his hands on his knees. He was slightly out of breath. "Reyna sent me to come get you. Did Octavian approve you?"

Thalia almost smirked. The praetor just couldn't stay away, could she?

"Yeah, I'm accepted into the Legion," Thalia said, monotone. "I'm thrilled."

"Awesome! We need to get you an actual bath before evening muster," Frank said, nodding. He wrinkled his nose sheepishly. "For your own good."

Thalia normally would've punched someone for that, but Frank was so genuine and nice about it, all she could do was manage a short laugh.

"Frank, why don't you go ahead and take Thalia down?" Nico asked. "I have to speak with my sister."

"Go ahead, guys," Hazel said, smiling a little shakily. She was obviously anxious, probably about whatever her brother was going to tell her. "We'll meet up later."

Thalia nodded her consent but made sure to meet Nico's eyes one more time to let him know this conversation was far from over. The twitch of his scowl indicated he understood her glare perfectly.

"What do you think about Nico?" she asked him, as soon as they had distanced themselves enough.

"He's okay," Frank answered honestly. "He's a lot different from Hazel."

"How so?"

"Nico is kind of mysterious," Frank explained, after a long pause. "He makes the campers a little nervous. But it isn't his fault. Jupiter got the skies, Neptune got the seas, and Pluto just got the short end of the stick. Back in the old times, the Greeks called him Hades, and he was more of a death god. When he became Roman, he got more respectable. He became the god of wealth, too. Everything under the earth belongs to him. So, there would lie the major difference between Hazel and Nico."

Thalia scoffed. "How does a god _become_ Roman?"

Frank was handling her questions a lot harder than Hazel had. "The ways the Romans saw it? They adopted the Greek stuff and perfected it."

Thalia couldn't help her laugh. "Adopted? No, adoption involves a lot of paperwork and legal action. They _stole_ it, and then changed it, like something was wrong with it."

She didn't know why she cared so much, but she did. She could tell Frank was trying a lot harder than her not to get offended.

"I don't know," Frank answered politely. "Rome was more successful than Greece. They made this huge empire. The gods became a bigger deal in Roman times, more powerful and widely known. That's why they're still around today. So many civilizations base themselves on Rome. The gods changed to Roman because that's where the center of power was. Jupiter was...well, more responsible as a Roman god than he had been when he was Zeus. Mars became a lot more important and disciplined."

"And Juno became a smelly bag of tie-dye," Thalia summarized for him. "So, the gods...they just stayed Roman? Because Rome was so much better than Greece? There's nothing left of Zeus, or Poseidon, or Hades?"

"Uh..." Frank glanced around anxiously. She could tell she was making him uncomfortable, but he was making her confused. "That's a sensitive topic. Some people say Greek influence is still around, like it is still a part of the gods' personalities. I've heard of stories of demigods occasionally leaving Camp Jupiter and rejecting Roman training to pursue the older Greek style. Becoming rogue heroes, instead of working as a team like the legion does. And back in the old days, when Rome fell, the eastern half of the empire survived—the Greek half."

Thalia nodded. She liked to believe there was still Greek influence, too. Besides, Lupa had called her a _Grecian demigod._ And everyone else at this camp was convinced she was a _graecus._ She didn't want to admit it—afraid of how the Romans would react to her admittance—but she knew it had to have some truth to it. She was Greek. Somehow, some way.

"The east empire—Byzantium—lasted another thousand years, but it was always more Greek than Roman. It's kind of a sore subject. That's why, whatever country we settle in, Camp Jupiter is always in the west—the Roman part of the territory. The east is considered bad luck."

Thalia didn't know why the thought disturbed her so. Was there something she was holding onto in the east? If her childhood memory was true, she was from the west. From California, in fact. So why did she feel some kind of sad longing?

The baths were empty, and Thalia was thankful. Frank reasoned it was because no one wanted to be late for evening muster. She didn't understand what that was, or why it was so important, but it sounded like dinner to her. Thalia shrugged off her clothes, comfortable after Frank left her a pile of fresh clothes and exited the bathhouse to wait outside. She was slightly unnerved by the depictions of the gods, that chased the walls of the room. Someone who just had to be Aphrodite smiled salaciously, Apollo was chilling with a bunch of hot dryads, and someone achingly familiar was bathing underneath a painting of a waterfall, surrounded by young maidens.

"Artemis." The name came to Thalia like it was her own.

She remembered the words Juno had muttered earlier. _Artemis' blessing is a Greek blessing. The Tiber will wash away your immortality._ Had she been a follower of Artemis? Had she been one of the naked, smiling huntresses on the wall?

Thalia grimaced, glancing around before dropping her last article of clothing to the marbled floor—her boxer briefs. She stepped into one of the large dug-out sections of the floor, the warm water swishing around her form as she settled in. Steam rose from the surface; it was really more of a giant hot tub than a bath. Complementary soaps, shampoos, lotions, and the like were scattered around the edges of the pool. She sniffed a couple before making her selections, picking a shampoo that smelled familiar—it was a clean, lemon scent—and a soap that smelled too fruity not to be some kind of jelly. She checked the label about seven times just to make sure.

By the time she was done and mostly dressed, Frank was peeking his head in, hands politely shielding his eyes. "Um, not sure if you...if you're done yet, but we need to hurry, Reyna doesn't like waiting."

"I didn't figure she did," Thalia mumbled quietly to herself. "Okay, Frank, you can look now."

He released a breath, smiling when he saw that she at least looked like she smelled better. She had put on the crisp new Camp Jupiter shirt he had brought her, and a new pair of black jeans. She would have to rip those later. "Let's go!"

Thalia didn't know why he was such a ball of nerves but, for once, she didn't push. He led her to a mass gathering of the Legion. Some groups seemed stronger, more confident than others. They were proud, all standing out in front of their respective cohorts, wearing a wide arrange of armor. They were leather combat boots, that had spikes on the bottoms like cleats, and that was certainly a fashion statement Thalia could get behind. Tall, glistening red shields rested in the ground, in front of every legionnaire, and they were like walking, talking armories—strapped with spears, swords, and daggers. It all looked a bit excessive.

Of course the one legionnaire that stuck out like a sore thumb, cantering back and forth on a beautiful brown pegasus, was Reyna herself. She paced bravely in front of the hundreds, eyeing Thalia like she had just crawled out of a sewer. It was the hottest way anyone had ever looked at her before, she was sure.

"So nice of you to join us," Reyna welcomed her, although that could hardly be considered a welcome.

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world," Thalia commented back, receiving a warning look from Frank as he pulled her off.

"Don't challenge Reyna," he warned her in a hushed whisper. "Do you know what she could do to you?"

"I like to fantasize about it," she remarked coyly, enjoying his shocked expression a little too much. "Death, dismemberment, that kind of thing?"

"Close," he grumbled. "She could make you scrub the streets of New Rome with a toothbrush, or sew you into a sack with angry weasels and fling you into the Little Tiber."

"Metal," Thalia commented, trying not to laugh at the mental image. "Where do we go?"

"You should stand a little bit out of the way, next to Hazel's brother. You're going to be sorted into a cohort and then you'll know where you will be for the war games."

Thalia nodded, moving to stand by Nico; he seemed just as out of place as she did. He almost flinched when she got too close. Gods, what had she done to this kid? She dug her hands into the pockets of her jacket, looking down on him and waiting for him to acknowledge her. They were surrounded by guards, so she didn't want to just come right out and say it: _tell me who the Hades you are, you dirty liar._

"Colors!" Octavian's voice spread across the ranks.

Thalia watched as a member from each cohort stepped forward, wearing lion skins, hefting giant poles with different emblems on it. One pole, though, the one from Hazel's cohort, had absolutely nothing on it, like the piece was missing. Thalia just got here, but even she could feel the embarrassing tension as their pole bearer stepped forward. She made a mental note to ask Hazel about that at dinner.

"Romans!" Reyna shouted. "You probably heard about the incursion today. Two gorgons were fried into the riverbed by Thalia Grace. Juno guided her here and proclaimed her a daughter of Jupiter."

At the sound of her words, most of the legionnaires shifted anxiously, like they all knew something Thalia didn't.

She didn't like that. At all.

Thalia nodded her head at the soldiers who met her gaze. "What's up?"

"She seeks to join the Legion," Reyna continued. "What do the auguries say?"

"I have read the entrails!" Octavian declared proudly. It hadn't looked like it required much effort to do that, but whatever. Thalia could have ripped open much more than a teddy bear. "The auguries are favorable! She is qualified to serve!"

The campers collectively shouted: " _Ave!"_

Reyna motioned, and a representative from each cohort came forward. They looked to be the ones in charge. Octavian stepped closest to Thalia.

"Recruit," he began imperiously. "Do you have any credentials? Letters of recommendation?"

What was this? College?

Remembering the crumpled paper she had found in her pockets, she slowly dug it out and unfolded it.

She wished she hadn't when she read it.

Octavian snatched it from her hands. "What is that?"

His eyes scanned the writing, lips melting into a sneer. "It's an ugly drawing." He glanced up at her, his cruel blue eyes mocking. "Is this supposed to be some kind of recommendation?"

"No," Thalia snapped, taking the drawing back from him and somehow avoiding ripping it in the process.

Unfortunately, he was right. It was a hideous drawing—crayon-etched blueprints obviously devised by a little kid. It was almost a house, with little notes scribbled in the corners, some of the words cut off. Most of it was misspelled, but Thalia could still tell it meant something to her. It felt like her heart was being ripped out, dipped in acid, and then stuffed into her lungs. This memory was related to Annabeth, she just knew it. But...someone else, too.

"No letters then," Octavian announced with fake remorse. "Will any legionnaires stand for her?"

Hazel stepped forward. "Thalia saved me today. She saved Frank. I will stand for her."

Thalia felt honored by her admission, but for some reason the rest of the cohorts were troubled by the announcement. Reyna wrinkled her nose, like she didn't quite agree with this, and looked to Octavian, who merely smiled and shrugged.

"Very well," Reyna said reluctantly. "Hazel Levesque, you may stand for the recruit. Does your cohort accept her?"

All the other cohorts suppressed their laughter, but Thalia didn't understand what was so funny. The pounding of shields on the ground broke her from her musing. Their acceptance.

"My cohort has spoken," one of the officials said. "We accept the recruit."

Reyna met her eyes again, but this time she had something in her eyes that resembled pity. That scared Thalia because pity didn't seem like something Reyna just handed out for any reason. "Congratulations, Thalia." It felt like the first time the praetor hadn't said her last name with it, and she wasn't sure why but it sounded like a spell tumbling from her lips. "You stand on _probatio_. You will be given a tablet with your name and cohort. In one year's time, or as soon as you complete an act of valor, you will become a full member of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Serve Rome, obey the rules of the legion, and defend the camp with honor. _Senatus Populusque Romanus_!"

The campers echoed the chant.

Reyna finally looked away from Thalia, and she found she could breathe again.

Thalia was handed the promised tablet, and she attached it to her necklace of clay beads. It looked sort of tacky, but whatever.

"Centurions, you and your troops have one hour for dinner. Then we will meet on the Field of Mars. The First and Second Cohorts will defend. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth will attack. Good fortune!"

A big cheer traveled through the mass of soldiers, and they all moved forward, breaking out of their ranks to head towards the mess hall.

Nico led Thalia over to her cohort, and Hazel was waving at them.

"Good job, Sis," he said to Hazel. "That took guts, standing for her."

"Thanks," Thalia said when she approached. "I'm not sure what it means, but thanks."

Hazel rolled her eyes. "I guarantee your good behavior. I teach you the rules, answer your questions, make sure you don't disgrace the legion."

"So, basically," Thalia began playfully. "What you have done already."

Hazel shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, except this time, if you do something wrong, they kill us both. Hungry? Let's eat."


	4. Nico I

**Chapter Summary** : Nico should have known that having Thalia around would make the war games this interesting.

Also, Thalia never likes calling people by their actual names.

* * *

Thalia Grace. Thalia freaking Grace was here. Thalia freaking _daughter of Zeus, punk's not dead, I could kick anyone's ass_ Grace was at Camp Jupiter. And even worse, she recognized him. Kind of, anyway, which was just as bad as completely recognizing him. The Romans already didn't trust Nico, but the universe had to throw in Thalia Grace, too, because it apparently wanted both of them to start World War III.

Nico sighed, watching as the wind spirits— _aurae_ —set a juicy cheeseburger in front of Thalia. He guessed, even without her memory, she was still the same ole Thalia. He began to slowly eat the food before him—manicotti, just like Bianca used to help their mother make. He smiled grimly to himself, somehow still disappointed that it tasted nowhere near what he was used to.

"So, Nicholas," Thalia's voice. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at his nickname. Thalia had a huge problem with giving everybody nicknames. He remembered what she had called Bianca—B, Beehive, Binks. "Wanna confess now?"

Hades, she was relentless. He didn't see why or how his sister had been so infatuated with her.

He sent her a look that would have shut a mortal up (and some demigods, too) easily, but she just narrowed her eyes right back at him, the electric blue slivers causing an effect like static—elevating the hairs of his arms. He looked away quickly, meeting Dakota's eyes over the table.

"We'll get to that in time," he offered. "But, I believe you should meet your centurion first."

Dakota burped. "Dakota, son of Bacchus. Welcome to the party, Thalia."

"Cool," she replied briskly, obviously not meaning it a single bit. She turned harsh eyes back to Nico, and he was suddenly very thankful that Hazel insisted on wedging between them. "We've met now. Where do I know you from?"

"I spent most of my time in the Underworld," it wasn't a lie. "So, unless you spend a lot of time there, I doubt we've met."

Dakota laughed. "Ambassador from Pluto, they call him. Reyna's never sure what to do with this guy when he visits. You should have seen her face when he showed up with Hazel, asking Reyna to take her in. Um, no offense."

"None taken."

Nico was so used to it by now, he was starting to appreciated how people perceived him. It was far easier to be feared than loved. He was also thankful for the change in subject. Maybe it would be enough to get Thalia off his back.

Thalia hummed sarcastically. "Well, maybe you should participate in the games tonight then. Since Reyna doesn't know what to do with you."

"I—I've never—"

Thalia was even crazier than Percy. Nico shook his head. He didn't need to think about the Son of Poseidon. Ever again, preferably.

"Me neither," Thalia remarked slyly. "It'd be fun."

Hazel cleared her throat, piercing him with those eyes that were so hard to say no to. "Nico, I think that might be a good idea. Help you assimilate a little bit."

Nico couldn't help his scowl. "I wasn't aware I needed to assimilate. I'm an ambassador, not a member of the legion."

Dakota nodded, his red-stained lips pulling into a slight frown. "Oh, yeah. If he isn't a legionnaire, I don't think he can participate anyway."

"Shame," Thalia commented, her eyes still mischievous. "Oh, well, you can still watch, right?"

He nodded slowly, watching a wolfish grin gradually stretch across her face.

"Not that it'll do any good," Frank muttered. "The Fifth always loses. Always."

Nico didn't want to add to that, he felt Thalia's pride was going to do that for him. He was so use to her boasting and intimidating, he hardly noticed it anymore. He was surprised when she didn't respond to it at all. He glanced up, watching the shift of her eyes, her hands gripping subtly at her skull, like she was trying to stop her brain from slamming against her forehead without alerting the others.

"Are you okay?" Hazel had set a hand on her shoulder, frowning when she was jolted off as Thalia flinched from the contact. "I'm sorry—it's just, you're making that same face you did when we were talking with Reyna."

"Memories keep coming back to me in flashes," Thalia explained reluctantly. "It's like before I can understand it, it flashes out."

Nico swallowed. "What did you remember?"

Thalia looked like she wasn't going to answer at first. She bit her lip like she was weighing the pros and cons of telling him. "I remember losing a game. Something about fighting a kid—feeling really angry, I think I used my powers—"

He knew what she was remembering. Her fight with Percy Jackson, after the campers had lost to the Hunters of Artemis. It was still the largest display of power he had ever seen. They had been so close to killing each other, all over a Capture the Flag game.

"Hmm," he said. "Did you win?"

Thalia shrugged. "I hope so. I don't remember it all."

That was such an odd memory to recall. But, what did it mean? Why had it come to her?

Nico cursed in his head. He should just be thankful she hadn't remembered him. He started to say something lame to change the subject, when he noticed Thalia's attention wasn't on him anymore. He followed her gaze, frowning when he saw how intensely she was staring at Reyna. He had never seen a look like that in her eyes before, and he wasn't sure what it meant. Was Thalia Grace scared? Was she nervous? He couldn't tell, because he had never seen her display either of those emotions. She was so easy to read whenever she was angry and hitting people and yelling exactly what she was thinking.

She caught him catching her staring, and she avoided his eyes, taking an impressive bite out of her cheeseburger.

Well, that was weird.

"Why does no one like you guys?"

Thalia's question didn't surprise anyone at the table.

"Campers were laughing when Hazel stood for me," Thalia continued, licking a drop of ketchup from her lip. "I think you guys are pretty cool."

"The Fifth..." Hazel trailed off. With the way she straightened her shoulders, Nico could tell she was flattered by Thalia's compliment. He rolled his eyes. Not another one of his sisters, fanning over Thalia Grace. "Well, we're considered the worst cohort. That actually started way before us." She pointed to the back wall, where the legion's standards stood out. "See the empty pole in the middle?"

Thalia nodded. "I noticed that when Reyna announced me. Your symbol...your eagle, it's lost?"

Hazel nodded, a little stunned.

She had yet to learn what Nico already knew. You don't underestimate Thalia. She was possibly more of a wolf than Lupa herself.

"The Fifth lost it for a second time," Hazel continued. "It had already been lost forever ago, when Rome fell. It was lost again some time in the 80's. We've been a disgrace ever since."

"Why is it such a big deal?" Thalia asked. "What does it mean?"

Frank glanced around nervously, like he was afraid the other cohorts would overhear and start throwing food at them. "It's the symbol of the whole camp—a big eagle made of gold. It's supposed to protect us in battle and scare our enemies. Each legion's eagle gave it all sorts of power, and ours came from Jupiter himself. Supposedly, Julius Caesar nicknamed our legion _fulminata_ , armed with lightning, because of what the eagle could do."

"Sounds right up my alley," Thalia commented, not bothering to wipe the bread crumbs from her mouth.

Dakota snorted. "We can put you on the pole?"

Nico glared at him in warning. What was he thinking? Making a comment like that to the Lieutenant of the Hunters? Did he want to get punched?

Surprisingly, Thalia cracked a smirk. "Good luck with that one. I'm not sure it would have the same effect."

Who was she? Nico didn't like this. She was different. She didn't have that heavy weight of unexplained guilt and pain on her shoulders. Thalia had always been a mystery to him, lashing out in anger at the smallest actions, whenever it was obvious that anger wasn't the emotion she should've been feeling. She had a lot of dark shit in her past, he knew that much. He almost envied her, not being able to remember any of the bad. But then he forced himself to realize that she didn't remember any of the good, either. She didn't remember her best friend Annabeth, her fellow Hunters that she considered her newfound family. It hurt to think that she didn't even remember Bianca. At least Nico still had his memories of her.

Hazel let a shocked laugh free.

Frank shrugged, his cheeks red.

 _Please change the subject, Frank,_ Nico mentally begged.

"The second time we lost it—it was on some huge expedition to Alaska."

 _Thank you._

"The Prophecy of Seven," Hazel reminded Thalia. "The one you saw in the temple. Our senior praetor at the time was Michael Varus, from the Fifth. Back then, the Fifth was the best in camp. He thought it would bring glory to the legion if he could figure out the prophecy and make it come true—save the world from storm and fire and all that. He talked to the augur, and the augur said the answer was in Alaska. But he warned Michael it wasn't time yet. That the prophecy wasn't for him."

"And he went anyway," Thalia remarked, almost wistfully, like it reminded her of someone.

Nico didn't have to think very hard to guess who.

Frank nodded. "It's a long, gruesome story. Almost the entire Fifth was wiped out. Most of the legion's Imperial gold weapons were lost, along with the eagle. The survivors went crazy and refused to talk about what had attacked them."

Hazel's face flinched, and Nico subtly placed a hand on her arm. They both knew all too well what had attacked the legionnaires.

"Since the eagle was lost, the camp has been getting weaker. Quests are more dangerous. Monsters attack the borders more often. Morale is lower. The last month or so, things have been getting much worse, much faster," Frank finished in a hurry, like he was terrified he wouldn't get the words out before something bad happened.

"And the Fifth took the blame," Thalia summarized. "That's why everyone hates us."

Hazel sipped some of her shrimp gumbo from her spoon. It didn't look very appetizing. "We've been outcasts since Alaska. Our reputation became better when Jason became praetor—"

She cut herself off, seeing her brother's warning glare, watching Thalia's eyes widen a fraction.

"This Jason—" Thalia barely managed the name. She pushed her plate aside so that the wind spirits wouldn't refill it. "You knew him?"

Frank shook his head. "I never met the guy. I just got here a month ago. But I hear he was a good leader. He practically grew up in this cohort. He started to rebuild our reputation. Then he disappeared."

Thalia hummed, sipping from what looked like a glass of water. "Who was his godly parent?"

"Um—"

Frank began to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of a war horn.

"The games begin!" Reyna announced.

Campers cheered, grabbing for their equipment that rested against the wall, and Nico silently thanked Reyna for the distraction. Thalia still looked troubled, but the time for her questions was over. It was time for the war games. Part of him was terrified that it would end like Capture the Flag _used_ to end, but another part of him was worried about how Thalia would fare.

He watched as Hazel led Thalia over to the wall, and the daughter of Zeus effortlessly donned her armor, tightening the straps like a professional. She had her armor ready quicker than even some of the members of the First. Nico sighed, shaking his head. The poor First and Second Cohorts had no idea what they signed up for.

* * *

Nico's jaw dropped, his hands falling slack around his binoculars as he watched Thalia climb over the mostly destroyed wall, the fortress still smoking from the several explosions she had caused. Reyna was nearly laughing in surprise, circling the grounds on Scipio, her flying mare. Thalia had just won the war games. _The Fifth Cohort_ had just won something.

The campers were in a frenzy, and he understood why. A probatio—not even just a probatio, but a _Greek_ —had led a successful assault on the First and Second Cohorts, the absolute best in Camp Jupiter. Even he knew that. He rushed down from the tower, shoving past Lares on long way to the bottom.

Reyna landed her pegasus, petting his mane in a surprising show of affection. "The game is won! Assemble for honors!"

Cheers arose, if only from the Fifth, and Thalia's proud expression, her eyes stormy and her face overcast, made Reyna visibly falter. Nico understood. Thalia's eyes always had that wild quality to them, but after a victory, pride coursing through her veins, sparks dancing across her skin, she almost looked like Zeus himself. It was almost as unsettling as being face-to-face with her shield, Aegis.

"That was awesome!" Frank clapped her on the back. "You fight like no one I've ever seen!"

Thalia's eyebrows furrowed. "Is that a compliment?"

Frank nodded wildly.

"Well, you're the brains behind the operation," she complimented back. "You came up with the plan. Turning the electric fence against them? Brilliant."

Hazel nodded, smiling wider as Frank blushed. "And, if I do remember, you were the first to get over the wall."

Frank's eyes widened. "I was," he remarked, like he was in a trance. "Oh, gods, I was!"

Hazel laughed. "We make a great team."

Thalia draped her arms over theirs and pulled them close, briefly, and Nico was afraid she was going to give them noogies.

Nico approached them. "Good job, Sis," he congratulated. "You were amazing out there."

"She was," Thalia agreed, releasing them both. "You should've seen what she did with the tunnels—oh, sorry, Hazel."

"It's okay," Hazel excused. "Nico already knows."

"Help!"

Nico felt it before he turned to see. Gwen was dying, her force slowly draining out of her and overtaking his senses. She had a pilum shoved through her body, and it was fairly clear that Gwen had been injured after the game had already been won. He remembered what he had heard children of Athena teach during their camp tutoring sessions: _Greeks were tricky, but Romans were untrustworthy. Romulus had killed his own brother, Remus, and took the throne as Rome's first king._

"Away!" a medic shooed some of the distressed campers. "Give her some air!"

They packed her wound with powdered unicorn horn, compressing underneath her armor in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Nico knew it wasn't working. The head medic realized it, too, glancing up at Reyna and shaking his head.

Reyna's face darkened, her eyes like smoking coals. "There will be an investigation. Whoever did this, you cost the legion a good officer. Honorable death is one thing, but _this_..."

Nico saw what she meant. The spear was poking out, spearhead towards her front. She had been stabbed behind her back, not even in the heat of combat. The weapon had been from the First Legion. Nico's eyes scanned the legionnaires. He could wait until Gwen enters the Underworld, and then find out what she knew about her attacker, but that could take a while...

 _Ah._ Octavian, spear-less, looked on with slight interest, his expression as calm as a millpond. Bastard. He hoped Reyna, as observant and intelligent as she was, would notice.

"Shit!"

The medic jumped back, and Nico sensed something wrong. Gwen...wasn't dead?

He furrowed his dark brows, watching as Gwen sat up, gasping for air. She glanced around in confusion at the terrified faces that surrounded her. "What is it?" she asked. "What's everyone staring at?"

Thalia made a noise of surprise. "You, Casper the Friendly Ghost. Where ya been?"

Nico sent her a look in an attempt to remind her that this was not the time to taunt a previously deceased person.

"There was a river, and a man asking for...a coin? I turned around and the exit door was open, so I...I just left."

Nico grumbled. Charon wouldn't be too happy about her rude exit. He would surely make her pay double when she _actually_ died.

Thalia sighed like _I can't believe these idiots are just standing and gawking_ , and she approached Gwen rather carelessly, totally aware of the skeptic eyes on her. "Just stay still, Gwennie the Pooh. Stop squirming."

Nico realized this probably wasn't the most crucial or gruesome injury she had dealt with. She led a whole army of young, fierce huntresses. Her nonchalance seemed to disturb the Romans, though, and a couple of medics tried to stop her before they were halted by her famous death stare.

Thalia gingerly grabbed the shaft of the pilum, directly beneath the tip, bracing one of her strong hands on Gwen's shoulder to hold her body steady, and grunted before she pulled it towards herself, slipping it clean out of Gwen's side. The girl didn't even wince. She blinked wildly, looking down as her wound healed over almost instantly.

"I feel fine," Gwen protested. "What's everyone worried about?"

Thalia hefted her to her wobbly feet. "You kind of died there for a minute."

"Somehow you came back," Reyna added, with narrowed eyes. Nico couldn't tell if she was admiring Thalia's initiative or dissecting her like a frog. "Is this some power of Pluto?"

"What?" Gwen moved her head wildly. "I—"

Nico shook his head, his lips in a grim line. "Pluto never lets people return from the dead."

"Maybe if you asked pretty please," Thalia quipped, scratching the back of her head and tangling the curls even worse. Nico reminded himself to get her more hair gel. If a Thalia without memory was a Thalia without her trademark spiky hair, the gods were really out to get her. Without styling, her hair was as crazy as his and Percy's.

Before he could respond, or roll his eyes, or point out that saying please to Hades would be like begging a hungry bear not to eat you (pointless, that is), a thunderous voice echoed over the hills. _Death loses its hold. This is only the beginning._

Thalia's head perked up. "I know that voice."

Nico did, too, but he didn't announce it to a bunch of Romans.

The wind brought in a giant spiral of leaves, dust, dirt, and flowers, like a tornado had wrecked through the royal gardens. The wind slowly dissipated, revealing a rather small figure, with a bright auburn braid that ran down her parka. Her silver eyes glinted at the sight of her long lost lieutenant.

Artemis.

The legion fell to their knees to honor the arrival of the goddess, but Thalia edged bravely closer, finally falling to one knee when she was within arms reach.

Artemis smiled tightly, like she was pleased to see her sister but wished for it to be under different circumstances. He knew she wasn't pleased that Hera had ripped her away to be a pawn in this. She rested her hand on Thalia's head, running her fingers through her hair and resting them there, threaded between the curly black strands. It was like she was petting one of her loyal wolves and—with the way Thalia fought—Nico suspected that was how Artemis saw her.

"Do you remember me, Thalia?"

Thalia glanced up at the sound of her name, but smartly thought better of verbally responding. She nodded her head, slightly in awe, her eyes glazed over like she was trying to remember every little thing about Artemis' face. It almost looked like she was in love, but Nico knew better than that. They had a special kind of bond, and a shared loyalty that was as strong as the River Lethe. Thalia was devoted to her, but not in love with her.

"Rome." Artemis addressed the legion, finally looking up from Thalia's imploring eyes, releasing her hold on her lieutenant and crossing her arms over her chest. The motion caused her bow to shift slightly on her back, rising well above her head. "I come from Olympus with a message. Jupiter was reluctant to have it delivered in person, but we can't have a miscommunication," she said, her silver eyes catching sight of Octavian before they moved on. "You may have taken notice of the fact that Gwen died and was resurrected mere seconds after the _incident_. The monsters you fight—the Gorgons, most recently—are no longer returning to Tartarus when they are slain."

Even though the rest of the Romans remained kneeling, Thalia stood, towering over her goddess, but not imposing.

"Thanatos has been chained," Artemis continued, unaffected by the disapproving looks sent her lieutenant's way. "The Doors of Death have been forced open, and Gaea is allowing our enemies to travel freely into the world of the living. Her sons, the giants, are forming armies against you—armies that you will not be able to kill. Death must be freed and returned to the Doors of Death, so that you will stand a chance against her forces."

Reyna looked like she wanted to desperately say something, and her prayers were answered. Artemis motioned her forward.

"Lady Diana," she began steadily, "we are honored."

" _Beyond_ honored," Octavian cut in. "So far beyond honored."

"Stand down, boy," Artemis berated him. "Do not interrupt when a woman is speaking."

The augur looked too scared to debate it. He backed down, looking more than a little humiliated. Good thing, that.

Reyna straightened her back. "Thanatos, he is the God of Death, lieutenant to Pluto? And he has been captured by giants?"

Artemis nodded. "Because of his imprisonment, the barriers between life and death will begin to weaken. Those who know how to take advantage of this will exploit it. Soon, monsters will be completely impossible to defeat. Some demigods will be able to find their way back to the living—much like your Centurion Gwen." She sighed. "Even mortals will eventually find it impossible to pass on. Could you imagine that? A world with no death?"

Octavian shifted his stance, awaiting her attention.

Artemis grumbled something offensive under her breath, but faced him. "You have a question, insolent boy?"

Octavian clenched his teeth. "If we can't die, isn't that a good thing? If we can stay alive indefinitely?"

Artemis pursed her lips, and Nico could sense that she was trying with great difficulty not to turn him into a woodland animal. He didn't know why she was refraining to. "Without death, boy, there would be no end to the Hunt. There would be endless carnage—war with no conclusion, no reason, no results. Even Mars, your patron, would have an issue with that."

Reyna cleared her throat politely. "With all due respect, Lady Diana, did you come here only to warn us?"

"I must issue a quest," she admitted. "You will go north and find Thanatos in the land beyond the gods. You will free him and send him back to the Doors of Death. Beware Gaea, and beware her eldest son."

"The land beyond the gods?" Hazel echoed. It was almost a squeak. Nico grasped her forearms, squeezing it reassuringly.

"It is the land where the legion lost its honor," Artemis continued. "If the quest succeeds, and you return by the Feast of Fortuna, the honor of Rome will be restored. If you don't, however...there will be no Rome. You will be overrun, and your legacy will be forever lost."

Octavian tried clearing his throat like Reyna had, but the goddess did not pay him any attention.

Artemis returned her gaze to Thalia. "I have a prophecy for you, my sister. Normally, Apollo does the rhyming, so I'll make it short. Go to Alaska, and you will find and free Thanatos. You will encounter distractions along the way, but do not allow them to deter you. Put Rome first. Return by sundown, on June twenty-forth, or the legion will be destroyed."

"That's hardly a prophecy—" Octavian.

Thalia finally lost it before her goddess could respond.

"Do you want to be a jackalope?" she retorted hotly. "Shut _up_."

That was what Nico was counting on.

"One more thing," Artemis promised, looking very much like she was trying to refrain from laughing at her lieutenant's outburst. "Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth, step forward."

Reyna looked slightly nervous, which was out of character for her but the presence of Artemis could make anyone falter. She knelt obediently, but the goddess gestured her to stand again. Her fingers subtly fiddled with the bottom of her golden breastplate.

"Thalia is my lieutenant," she continued, ignoring the gasps of surprise. "She has made me proud. But I was also sent with a message from Mars. Frank Zhang, step forward with your praetor."

He slowly edged forward, looking more terrified than any ghost Nico had ever seen in the Fields of Punishment.

"Frank is the son of Mars Ultor, your patron," she said, receiving choked gasps and startled stuttering in response. "He was first over the wall. Ensure he gets the Mural Crown."

Frank didn't look very happy about the first part.

Reyna bowed. "Yes, Lady Diana."

Artemis met his gaze almost reluctantly. "You are a good shot."

"Th—thank you," Frank bowed low to the ground. "Lady Diana."

She slung a weapon—a large spear, with a shaft of imperial gold and a tip as white as bone. "A gift from your father. Unfortunately, he was unable to deliver the message himself. He said you get three charges out of it. Use it wisely."

Artemis' form flickered. She grumbled to herself. "Father is getting impatient. Thalia shall lead this quest, unless their are any objections."

No one said a word, but a lot of them looked like they wished to argue.

"Thalia, you may choose two companions," she said, but she gestured to Frank. "He needs to be one of them."

Artemis didn't look too happy about Thalia going on a quest with a boy, but she seemed a little resigned, like someone had already argued her to death.

Thalia nodded her understanding, but before she could say anything, Artemis flickered again and lightning raced across the sky. "I must go now," Artemis said. "Do not disappoint me, my lieutenant."

And she was gone.

Nico released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Thalia crossed her arms, almost smiling proudly, like a part of her had been returned.

Hazel looked like she was still trying to process the information, her face haunted.

Frank stared blankly at the spear that lay across his hands, the grass below staining the knees of his jeans.

Reyna raised her arm in a Roman salute, and the rest of the legion followed suit. " _Ave_ , Frank Zhang, son of Mars."


	5. Thalia III

**Chapter Summary** : Thalia chooses her third quest member, promises a bit too much to Reyna, and begins her quest for Thanatos.

* * *

Thalia was assaulted by memories in the dreams, and she deemed them _assaults_ because, well—

 _She ducked and rolled, barely avoiding a swinging club from a Cyclops, grabbing for a little Annabeth as she moved her out of harms way._

 _"Stay here!" she ordered her, leaving the little one behind a large boulder and spinning back into the line of fire. 'C'mon, big ugly! You haven't even clubbed me once! You are the worst Cyclops I've ever killed."_

 _The monster roared, hefting his club off the ground again and swinging it. Thalia was quick enough to jump over it in mid-air, but she miscalculated his response time. He swung it back to opposite way, catching her in the side and slamming her against the cave wall._

 _"Thalia!"_

 _It was a boy's startled yell. She looked to the speaker, almost thinking it was Jason at the sight of his blond hair. But she quickly negated that thought. This was someone completely different. He had pale blue eyes and tan skin, his face was thin and angled. He was swinging a golf club, landing a few good hits on the monster's shins._

 _Thalia unsteadily rose to her feet, feeling a couple of her ribs throb in protest. "Luke!" she yelled. "Get back!"_

 _He continued swinging, narrowly missing the club._

 _"Get back! Now!"_

 _If he had waited a second longer to listen, he would have been electrocuted to dust. The Cyclops collapsed to the cave ground, charred and smoking, his eyes burned out of their sockets. It was the worst thing Thalia had ever smelled. Luke's hair stood straight up, and his face was covered with fried dirt and debris._

The dream shifted.

 _Jason._

 _He was crying in her arms, blood pouring down his lip in a steady, gut-wrenching stream. Thalia was finding it difficult to breathe, but she tried to stay focused, dabbing at his lip with a wet cloth, applying pressure to hold the bleeding. She had already tried to smother it with band-aids, but it was a tough puncture. There had to be at least a box of staples she had pulled out of his face._

 _"We have to take him to the hospital," she snapped, glaring at her mother, nearly unconscious on the couch. She received a few drunken slurs in response._

 _She huffed, moving around the big, messy house with surprising agility. She sat Jason on the ground as she strung her leather jacket on, pocketing some of her mother's booze money and her debit card, just in case. She wasn't sure how much stitches would cost, but she knew Jason needed them more than anything. Thalia lifted him up again, allowing him to cling to her short strands of hair for once, even though he pulled them too tight and nearly ripped them out of her skull._

 _Thalia walked until she saw something that was sort of legal for her to operate. Her neighbor's new go-cart. He was a real asshole, so she didn't think twice as she pressed her fingers to the wires, feeling the dormant electricity beneath the lining. She had it running in seconds. She strapped Jason in as tightly as possible, instructing him to hold the towel as tightly as possible to his cut._

 _"Ow," he muttered, but did as she asked. "It hurt."_

 _"That's why you don't eat staplers, Jase," she retorted. She sighed, resigned, watching as he pouted at her response, which just caused more blood to fall. "Stop that. It's not your fault. Mom should have fed you." She shook her head. "At least, if you would have eaten the cat's food, I would understand."_

 _The wind whipped past them as she drove—they were lucky Thalia already knew where the closest hospital was, after having driven her alcohol-poisoned mother there on more than one occasion._

 _"Hungry," Jason whined._

 _"I'm not stopping for food until we get you sewed up," Thalia replied firmly. She was in no way immune to his pout, so she avoiding looking at him. She could already feel his pitiful stare. "Hold on tight."_

 _She went over a bump just to get him to giggle._

 _"I remember you."_

 _Thalia froze, looking away from the road, her eyes widening when she saw that he had grown. He looked about sixteen, and his scar had sealed over. His hair had been cut rather short and close to his head, much like Frank's, but the same innocent twinkle in his eyes was there. But he looked tired, like he had been searching and searching, and finally found what he had been looking for, but it was far out of his reach._

 _"Do you remember me?"_

 _"Jason, I—"_

 _"Stay where you are," he advised. "We've almost found you. Just stay—"_

 _The edges of the dream melted away until she found herself standing in the principia again. The entire room was encased in ice, and the skeletons of armored Roman soldiers littered the floors. A great figure loomed, his skin glinting silver and gold, and behind him rested the Eagle of the Fifth._

 _"This will be fun, daughter of Jupiter," the giant cackled. "It's been eons since I broke a demigod of your caliber. I await you atop the ice."_

Thalia woke up nearly gasping, accidentally pushing her assailant to the ground. Hazel groaned, rubbing the back of her head and hesitantly glancing back up.

"I'm—I'm sorry," Thalia muttered. "I had a bad dream."

Had it been bad, though? What if that had really been him? What if he had somehow found a way to contact her in her dreams?

"You kept screaming for Jason," Hazel noted, almost like she was reluctant to admit it. "You do know him?"

Thalia glanced around anxiously, seeing the interested faces around them. "Can we talk about this later?"

Hazel hesitated, but she nodded. When Thalia slipped out of her bunk, she helped Hazel to her feet and apologized for hitting her so hard.

As Hazel led her through the morning routine _—_ showing her to her fresh change of clothes, the bathrooms _—_ Thalia reflected on her dream. She had seen Jason, her brother. She didn't remember him as a sixteen year old _—_ the only real memories she had of him, he was young _—_ but she knew it was him. The same scar, the identical blue eyes, she'd be stupid not to realize it. He was somewhere, looking for her. Shouldn't she be looking for him, too?

"C'mon," Hazel ushered. "We're going to be late for the Senate meeting."

* * *

Thalia already knew she wasn't exactly Roman, but the fact that she wanted to cut her own ears off during the Senate meeting only strengthened her belief. Right about now, she envied Julius Caesar. She almost wished they'd turn on her, and Reyna would stab her 23 times. She didn't know why her mind picked Reyna, but she figured if anyone in the confusing amnesiac world of hers was worthy, it was Reyna.

The big breakfast she had eaten sat low on her stomach, and she felt like she should be nursing her food baby in a rocking chair, not attending some pretentious meeting, quelling the urge to punch someone every five minutes. She wasn't sure what to make of this place. Walking through New Rome, she had felt something she couldn't recognize _—_ had it been hope? Had it been wistfulness, watching the children of demigods tackle each other in the grass, smiling and worry-free? Or was it resentfulness, spurring thoughts very similar to envy? Thalia had a feeling her life had not been so easy, so simple, so full of hope. Her life had been brutish, short, only continued by luck and survival ability. She didn't remember much of anything, but she continued to feel pangs _—_ sorrow, loss, and pain were teaming together and throwing her around like a rag doll.

Thalia's attention was diverted as she watched Reyna raise her hand, standing in front of a grand podium, making her appear all the more like a professor. What was the class? _Kick Ass 101?_

"Right, this is an emergency meeting," Reyna began firmly. "We won't stand on formalities."

"I love formalities!"

Reyna's glare silenced the ghost. Why did they even consult ghosts at Senate meetings? It wasn't like their lives were in the balance here.

"We will not be voting on the quest itself. It was issued by Lady Diana. Although she is not a patron of Rome, she is one of the Divines, and we will respect her wishes. We are not here to debate the choice of Thalia Grace's companions." Reyna paused, narrowing her eyes at toga'd Senate members who twitched in their seats. "As quest leader, Thalia has the right to choose her companions. She has chosen Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque."

" _Absurdus!_ " a voice from the right side of the room. "Thalia Grace has just joined the legion. She is on _probatio!_ A quest must be led by someone of Centurion rank or higher! This is completely _—"_

"Cato," Reyna interrupted impatiently. "We must respect the wishes of the gods. This means making certain...adjustments."

Reyna clapped her hands, commanding the attention of everyone in the room. Octavian picked up a velvet package, stepping forward next to Reyna. His face was screwed in disgust. "Thalia Grace and Frank Zhang, step forward."

Thalia felt like she and Frank were in competition _—bet you I can get to the podium slower than you can!_

"Frank Zhang, it is my pleasure," Octavian began, gritting his teeth, "to present to you the Mural Crown for being the first over the walls in siege warfare." He handed him a bronze badge, in the shape of a laurel wreath. "Thalia Grace," the name sounded like a curse, "by the order of Praetor Reyna, I must promote you to the rank of Centurion."

Another bronze badge, this one shaped like a crescent, was attached to Thalia's shirt, and the Senate erupted in loud jeers and protests.

 _"A Greek centurion?"_

"She just started!"

"Even her name is Greek _."_

"This is a disgrace to the legion!"

"She shocked my eyebrows off!"

"Thalia is an outsider!"

"Silence!" Octavian's voice took on a different tone. "Our praetor recognizes that no one below the rank of centurion may lead a quest. For good or ill, Thalia must lead this quest, so our praetor has decreed that she be promoted to centurion."

Thalia didn't like his choice of words and from the looks of it, neither did Reyna. He spoke carefully and firmly, seeming to enunciate the fact that Reyna was to blame for this controversial decision. He was slimy.

"There is an opening for centurion," Reyna elaborated, in a futile attempt to combat Octavian's implications. "One of our officers, also a senator, has decided to step down. After ten years in the legion, she will retire to the city and attend college. Gwen of the Fifth Cohort, we thank you for your service."

Thalia's eyes found the previously-skewered woman easily. She looked shaken but glad to be handing over the reigns.

"As praetor, I reserve the right to replace officers. I admit it's unsual for a camper on probatio to rise directly to the rank of centurion, but I think we can agree...everything that has happened since Thalia arrived, the visits from the gods, the triumph of the Fifth Cohort, were unusual. Thalia Grace, your ID, please."

Thalia pulled it off of her necklace and surrendered it to Octavian. He motioned her to hold out her forearm, rather impatiently, and she, rather impatiently in response, followed the motion. Octavian raised his hands to the skies. "We accept Thalia Grace, Daughter of Jupiter, to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata for her first year of service. Do you pledge your life to the senate and people of Rome?"

"Sure."

A harsh glare from Reyna made her smirk, but it also made her change her declaration.

"I do," Thalia said, a little bit louder and prouder this time around.

" _Senatus Populusque Romanus_!"

Fire grazed her arm, and Thalia could do nothing but stare. She hardly flinched. It was painful, sure, but it was over within seconds. On her arm, she bore the symbol of her father, a majestic eagle, the letters _SPQR_ , and a single line.

"You may sit."

Frank felt the need to help her back to her seat, recognizing that she wasn't looking away from her arm any time soon.

"Did it hurt?" he whispered to her.

Thalia nodded. "A little bit."

"It was literally fire."

"Like my mixtape."

"What?"

"Nothing," she dismissed, taking her seat. She caught Reyna's amused look and the glare of many senators, and she realized she might have spoken too loudly. She cleared her throat. "Carry on."

"Thank you, Centurion Thalia," Reyna's voice burned worse than the tattoo had. "Now, we must discuss the terms of the quest."

Octavian's venomous eyes pinned her. "Centurion Thalia, do you even know where you're going?"

Uh, hadn't Artemis said something about the land beyond the gods?

Hazel stood. "Weren't you listening last night, Octavian? Diana was pretty clear. We're headed to Alaska."

The Senate didn't like the sound of that. Some of the Lares faded and dissipated in fear. Aurum and Argentum squirmed. That really caused Thalia to worry. Something that terrified them?

A Senator stood. He introduced himself as Larry. Thalia tried to take him seriously, but the way he kept adjusting his toga was pathetic. "I know what Diana said, but Alaska? That's insane! They call it the land beyond the gods for a reason. It's so far north, the Romans have no power there. The place is swarming with monsters. No demigod has come back alive since _—"_

"Since you lost your Eagle?" Thalia guessed. She felt something familiar swell in her chest. She was a leader. It was about time she proved herself to these toga-butts. They didn't know who they were messing with, who they were doubting. Hades, she didn't even know who they were doubting. But she knew she was a leader. She felt it with everything she was. Words fell out of her mouth like she had been born to speak them. She would show Octavian how to manipulate a crowd.

"Listen up. I know I'm new here, and none of you are okay with me being Centurion, but the facts are clear as day. The Fifth Cohort led that expedition in the eighties. We failed, and now we have a chance to make it right. Diana has faith in me, and she knows that the Fifth is responsible. This is a chance to earn back our honor. This giant Diana mentioned, he has to be the one that attacked us during the expedition. Right about now, he's up in Alaska, taunting us with a chained Death. He is mustering armies as we speak to attack camp. So, you all need to stop debating and start planning. I suggest before the Feast of Fortuna." Thalia shrugged. "If you want to live, that is."

Octavian hummed suspiciously. "You seem to know a lot about our enemies' plans, Thalia Grace."

"Stop calling me that," she seethed.

She didn't know why she said what she did. There was something about being called _Grace_ that was increasingly annoying. Thalia was no traitor, even to a group of people she had never met before in her life. She knew enough to realize that this camp, these people, Hazel, Frank, Reyna, Nico, were the good guys, and she would protect them with her life. Implying she was a traitor, that she was anything like Luke _—_

Thalia felt sick. The boy from her dream _—Luke._ He was a traitor? Why did she feel like collapsing? Why couldn't she stop shaking? She didn't even remember him, not really. Her eyes darkened.

"Feeling nervous now, Greek spy?"

"I'm going to confront this son of Gaea, and I'm going to get your Eagle back," she continued darkly. She looked back at Hazel and Frank for some kind of support. She received it _—_ Hazel nodded determinedly, and Frank tried for a reassuring smile. "We will free Death, and then, you, Octavian, will see who I am."

He rolled his eyes openly, but her speech had managed to get some confident looks from the Senate. "How do you expect to do all of this by the Feast of Fortuna? That's in four days. Do you even know where to look? Do you even know who this son of Gaea is?"

"Yes," Hazel's voice interrupted the insult Thalia was about to unleash. "I don't know _exactly_ where to look, but I have a pretty good idea. The giant's name is Alcyoneus."

Reyna anxiously gripped her podium. "How do you know this, Hazel? Is it because you are a daughter of Pluto?"

Nico saved her the trouble of responding. He rose in his black toga, his startling snow-white skin poking through. "Praetor, if I may." He looked back to his sister. "Hazel and I, we learned a bit about the giants from our father. Each giant was bred with the purpose of replacing one of the twelve Olympian gods _—_ to usurp that god's domain. The king of the giants was Porphyrion, the anti-Jupiter. But the eldest giant is Alcyoneus. He was born to oppose Pluto. That's why we know of him."

"Indeed?" Reyna responded. "You sound _quite_ familiar with him."

Nico brushed it off. "The giants were hard to kill. According to prophecy, they could only be killed by gods and demigods working together."

Dakota made a noise of surprise. "I'm sorry, Ambassador, did you just say gods and demigods working together? Fighting side by side? That would never happen!"

"It has already happened," Nico corrected. "During the first giant war. The gods called on heroes to help them, and they were victorious. Whether it could happen again, I don't know. But with Alcyoneus...he was different. Impossible to kill by god and demigod, unless he was away from the region of his birth. He will be impossible to kill in Alaska, the place where he was reborn."

"This quest is impossible!"

"We're doomed!"

"Silence!" Reyna's command was even stronger than Octavian's had been. "Senators, we must act like Romans. If Diana has issued this quest, we must believe it is possible. These three demigods must travel to Alaska. They must free Thanatos and return before the Feast of Fortuna. The best we can do now is advise them, and help them come up with a plan."

Reyna's eyes turned to Thalia, and they were a little too expectant for her liking. "You _do_ have a plan?"

"I'm not exactly one for planning," Thalia admitted. She wasn't able to look away from the praetor, so she hardly noticed the exasperated looks she received.

"Transportation," Reyna continued for her, thankfully taking some of the heated glances from her. "The legion should provide what we can for you."

"Reyna," Octavian spat, clenching his bony, skeleton boy jaw. "The legion hardly has any assistance or supplies to spare. If what the graecus says is true, at the Feast of Fortuna, we will be attacked by a giant's army. We need to keep everything at our disposal."

Most of the senators nodded, chattering and murmuring sounds of agreement.

Thalia couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"If we aren't successful in the quest, then you won't stand a chance anyway," she retorted. "The giant and his army will be invicible unless we are able to free Death." She met the eyes of some of the unconvinced senators. "If we fail, Rome will fall. You all heard Diana. Why not spare whatever you can, so that we stand a better chance at saving your asses?"

Note to Thalia: don't say ass in a Senate meeting; Reyna no like.

Reyna's glare was mostly disappointed. "Centurion Thalia has a point, Octavian."

Thalia loved hearing Reyna refer to her as centurion, mostly because it made the augur's eye twitch wildly in outrage.

"Then offer them something we don't need to protect ourselves, praetor." Octavian glanced at the Senate as if to say: I'm trying my best here, guys!

"We do not need transportation to defend Rome," Reyna said sternly, eyes narrowed and challenging him to disagree. "Unless, of course, you are suggesting that we flee like cowards."

Octavian seethed. "I am suggesting no such cowardice action. Assisting them would not be smart, praetor, it would leave us vulnerable. We need chariots and horses for battle, and we should not waste our funds in time of war to arrange for a flight." He locked eyes with Thalia. "She found her way here without our help, and she can find her way to Alaska all the same."

Thalia scoffed but her comment was hushed before it even formulated.

Reyna gripped the podium a little tighter and Thalia guessed she was pretending it was Octavian's veiny neck. "Do not forget that they are embarking on this quest on the orders of the gods. Would you tamper with their will, augur, by denying them something as crucial as transportation?"

"Praetor," Thalia cut in. She had had enough. She wasn't about to beg this stupid Senate to help her. "I will find means of transportation on my own. I will easily find us passage to Alaska, and I don't need any help to do it."

Centurion," the praetor's statement caused another hilarous eye twitch. Reyna looked like she was frustrated with Thalia's response. No, frustrated wasn't the word. She stared at Thalia like she was a slain gladiator who hadn't put up an entertaining enough fight. "If you are sure, you are permitted to seek your own means of transportation. But heed this: the journey to Alaska is not easy or short. There is a chance you will not make it in time for the Feast of Fortuna."

"I realize that."

Reyna nodded. "Then this Senate meeting is concluded."

* * *

"You must make wise decisions if you are to save this camp."

Reyna's comment only made Thalia send her an incredulous look.

The praetor had asked for a private audience with her after the Senate meeting. She was starting to regret coming. Reyna was a ball of fire, right now, and Thalia wanted to avoid the flames.

"You heard Lady Diana," Reyna answered her blank look. " _You will encounter distractions along the way, but do not allow them to deter you. Put Rome first._ " Reyna sat down, motioning for Thalia to do the same. "Obviously, your patron has reason to believe that something on this quest will distract you. I am worried she is right."

Thalia sighed, trying not to take offense. She realized she probably resorted to anger first, and asked questions later. But she would listen to Reyna.

"Distract me? What do you think she means?"

Reyna's face scrunched in contemplation. "I can't be sure of that. But...I have this feeling." Some of her anger had dissipated, whenever she recognized that Thalia wasn't going to be her usual, annoying self. But her cheeks were still tinted slightly pink, although it hardly showed through her dark skin. "Something about your past, maybe. Are you sure you don't remember anything? At all?"

Thalia tried not to answer that. She tried her hardest. Her mistake was meeting those beautiful dark eyes, and she was drowning before she realized it.

"I think...I remember my brother," Thalia said quickly. She watched Reyna's expression flash to one of realization, before it sunk into something resigned. "Jason. He's the one everyone keeps talking about. He's a son of Jupiter, isn't he?"

Reyna leaned back in her seat, bracing her arms imperiously on her golden armrests. She looked more like an empress than a praetor. "Jason Grace is your younger brother. He...he mentioned you before. He thought you were dead, or stuck with your mother. But here you are. Eight months after he was taken from us, you show up on our doorstep. There's no mistaking it. You even have the same eyes."

Thalia didn't know why she had to look away, she just did. "You knew...all these campers, they knew. Hazel, Frank," Thalia's voice was surprisingly calm. She wasn't sure how she felt. "You knew Jason was my brother. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't _you?_ " Reyna countered, her eyes sparkling knowingly. "I saw the way your eyes lit up the last time we talked. You remembered him then, and you didn't say anything."

"I couldn't be sure, I..." Thalia took a deep breath. "You were close?" she guessed, changing the subject, somehow finding the banner behind Reyna's head interesting. "Were you...dating?"

Reyna looked pained by the question. "No," she eventually answered. Thalia could tell she was being honest. "We may have been...given time. It is not unusual for praetors to form relationships, working closely together, in a position of power."

"I'm sorry," Thalia didn't know why she was apologizing; she just knew she would do anything to make that frown disappear. "It's probably been really hard for you, leading this legion on your own for eight months. You're a great leader."

Reyna smiled a little at that, but she nodded in agreement. "It hasn't been exactly easy, but I wouldn't dare to give it up. I'd hate to think about the possibilities of Octavian in power..."

"He's slimy," Thalia reiterated her earlier observation. "He's good at manipulating a crowd, but he doesn't have the heart to lead. Not justly. You're more of a warrior, but he's all talk," Thalia didn't know why she was offering advice, or who she thought she was for giving it to Reyna, a perfectly capable leader, in the first place, but she couldn't muffle her next words. "He's running for praetor. He hopes to work alongside you during the Feast of Fortuna."

Reyna laughed, but it was deep and empty, like it was something she had only admitted to herself before and she found it strange Thalia would even bring it up. "I know that. But I...I have a different proposition." She leaned forward again, and Thalia hated that she straightened her spine in response. "If you succeed, in this quest to free Death and save Rome...I would like to offer you the position of praetor."

Thalia couldn't believe what she was hearing. She laughed. "It made the Senate mad enough when you named me centurion."

"In time, the Senate will see what I have seen," Reyna remarked, unaffected by Thalia's laughter. "You are a leader. I know it is asking a lot of you, you might not return to Diana's side, but I can't think of anyone better for the job. Since your brother left, things have been getting worse. I fear the Senate grows restless without a balance of power." She scrutinized Thalia carefully, like she was trying to pick lost memories out of her brain. "Octavian seems to think you're a spy. That you're a Greek demigod, working secretly for Gaea to figure out our weaknesses."

She _was_ Greek, but she didn't think she should mention that little bit of information.

"Do you think that?"

"I believe you came from _somewhere_ ," Reyna added. "You're important, but you're also dangerous. Two gods have taken special interest in you since you arrived and you seem to be Diana's favorite, so I don't think you're working against Olympus...or Rome. Perhaps the gods sent you to test my judgement, but that isn't very likely. I think...I think you were sent here to make up for the loss of Jason."

Thalia didn't like hearing that. She was just a replacement to Reyna? A consolation prize? She must have arrived with a note.

 _Hey, sorry for taking Jason! Here's his sister, she's almost as good!_

 _Love, the Gods._

"Octavian has been pestering me, you know, trying to bully me into submission," Reyna continued. "With the Feast of Fortuna coming up..." She shook her head. "I need a partner in power, but I'd prefer someone like Jason. A warrior, a hero, not a schemer."

Thalia's jaw clenched. How could she be compared to someone she didn't even properly remember?

"So, me," Thalia concluded.

"Just consider the offer," Reyna said nonchalantly. "Until then, I'd like to give you a parting gift." She shot Thalia a warning glance. "This stays between us. Octavian is not to know about this."

"Of course," Thalia replied easily. She almost choked on her own scoff as Reyna surrendered the ring from her left hand. It was silver, with the image of a sword and torch engraved. It mimicked Reyna's legion tattoo. "Don't you think we're moving a bit too fast? I mean, we just met."

Reyna blushed, and Thalia didn't miss it. "Quiet," she ordered, removing Thalia's necklace and stringing the ring on. She placed it back around Thalia's neck, and her warm touch caused her body to hum. "On your way to Alaska, stop in Seattle. You should meet with my sister, Queen of the Amazons, and she will help you. Just show her the ring and she will know that I sent you."

"You have a sister?" Thalia had trouble believing this angel existed, let alone one just like her. "Is she single?"

She didn't know why she said something so petty, but it had upset her to hear the way Reyna talked about Jason. Maybe she was trying to even the playing field, but she knew her words were as stupid and pointless as her jealousy.

Reyna's eyes were cold again. All it took was one offensive response, and Thalia was back on the defensive and Reyna's walls had flown up. "She is an Amazon. Do not take her lightly."

Amazons? Weren't they like the Hunters? She remembered something Artemis had told her, about a tribe of warrior women that followed no one god in particular. They did not swear off men, but they were also not immortal either.

"Noted," Thalia replied just as coldly. "Well, if she's anything like you _—"_

Thalia stopped herself before she could finish. She wasn't supposed to be mad at Reyna. Just two days ago, she hadn't even met her. Reyna had probably known Jason most of her life. How could she blame the other girl for that?

" _What?_ " It was a guarded challenge.

" _—_ then I'll like her," Thalia finished lamely, thinking better of showing her aggravation. She took great satisfaction in the fact that Reyna's flustered look surpassed her own. Thalia managed a smirk. "What is her name?"

"Hylla," Reyna managed. Now she was the one avoiding eye contact. "There's one more thing you should know before you go." She composed herself rather quickly, something Thalia instantly admired. "Octavian saw something in his auguries, about this attack on the Feast of Fortuna. I ordered him not to tell anyone. News of this could cause mass panic." She breathed deeply. "A giant is leading his army here. It's not Alcyoneus. It's one of his brothers. This is what Juno foretold."

Two giants. Great.

"You want me to ask Hylla for help," Thalia realized. "You think she can turn the tide in the battle."

She knew she was right when Reyna looked away, almost ashamed. This praetor, this incredible leader, was a girl who would do anything to save her camp, even if it meant sacrificing her pride. Any past resentment or jealousy she had melted away as she watched Reyna's jaw flex. Even though she felt like she didn't belong here at this camp, Thalia was going to do whatever it took to save it, these people. Reyna cared so much, even if she wasn't very expressive about it, that it made it very difficult for Thalia to ignore her dedication. She was the only praetor, leading this legion on her own. If they failed, if Rome fell, the blame, the tragedy, and the loss would weigh heaviest on Reyna's shoulders.

"Don't worry," she said confidently. She smiled at Reyna. She hoped it looked more reassuring than it felt. "I won't let Rome down." _I won't let you down,_ Thalia wanted to emphasize.

"I hope you're right," Reyna said grimly. It was clear she was done talking. She looked like she needed a lot of quality time with herself. "You should get ready for your quest now."

"Goodbye, Reyna," Thalia quipped on her way out, trying to lighten the girl's suddenly somber mood. She couldn't honestly help that she winked. "Hope you live through this."

"Worry about yourself."

Thalia laughed on her way out, receiving curious looks from Frank and Hazel, who were already waiting for her on the outside. Frank hefted a black backpack and surrendered it to her, explaining that he had packed her everything he thought she might need.

"There's also some food," he commented shyly. "I saw how much you can eat."

Thalia sighed dramatically. "Finally, someone who gets me." She strung it on, finding its weight comfortable. Her bedroll was tucked at the top of the bag, and it cushioned her neck. "Well, c'mon, slowpokes, we got a car to hotwire."

"Hotwire?" Hazel sounded almost excited.

Frank squeaked.

Thalia tried to ignore the logical part of her brain, warning her that she was literally walking into a suicidal quest. She tried not to think about what was going to happen if she didn't succeed. Hazel, Frank, Reyna, Dakota, Nico...gone. As they walked towards Terminus, the god of boundaries, no more than an arm-less ancient bust, she tried to focus on the positive. If she _did_ succeed, her new friends would live. Thalia might even find Jason and Annabeth again.

...she might become Reyna's _partner in power_.

She tried to keep repeating these things to herself, but her mind gradually began cussing out Juno instead.

 _Thanks a fucking lot, you lousy sack of tie-dye._


	6. Frank I

**Chapter Summary** : Frank POV. Mostly his perception of Thalia, but the demigods find their way to Iris.

Contains a few lines from "Son of Neptune," "Blood of Olympus," and "The Titan's Curse."

* * *

Frank glanced up from Hazel's sleeping face, as hard as that was to do. He didn't think she would be okay with being creepily watched. He couldn't really help himself. Hazel was beautiful. Frank fought his blush down, searching for a distraction. He studied their driver—Thalia was something else entirely, someone Frank wasn't certain of or used to. Frank had never met Jason, but he knew enough to realize they had very little in common. Thalia was wild and, even though she lacked her memory, she acted like she had already seen everything the world had to offer and she wasn't interested. From what he had heard, Jason was kind and patient, but he was a force to be reckoned with.

If Frank were quite honest with himself, he was really intimidated by her. She had a powerful air about her, and she looked like she mugged people for a living. That wasn't a very soothing combination. Despite her appearance and his initial opinion of her, she was really cool. Almost too cool, and it made him feel even more intimidated. He wondered if Hazel felt the same way. If the rest of the camp had felt that way about Jason. Maybe it was a whole "king of the gods" thing they inherited from their father. Their fatal flaw was being _too_ cool. Whatever it was, Frank was trying really hard to open up and let his guard down. This friendship had to start somewhere, even if Thalia looked like the kind of girl that didn't give _anyone_ the time of day.

Some light conversation. That couldn't be hard, right?

"I'm Canadian."

Dumb. Dumb, dumb, stupid, dumb.

Thalia nodded slowly and sarcastically, the way someone did whenever they wanted you to know that they weren't really interested. "If you're from Canada, why are you Asian?"

"Oh my god, Karen, you can't just ask people why they're Asian."

A laugh. It was short-lived but it made Frank feel at ease. There, they had something in common. Mean Girls.

"I don't even know how I remembered that," Thalia spoke, and Frank was honestly surprised that she had been the one to continue the conversation. "I'm glad you got the reference, or else I would have looked like a real asshole."

"Mean Girls is a classic," Frank justified his momentary lapse of what Thalia probably deemed coolness. He never handled that kind of attention well. "You'd be surprised to hear some of the racist things I endured in my school years. At least the legion is like a melting pot. I mean, everyone gives me a hard time for being clumsy and slow, but no one calls me out for my race."

"I should hope not." Thalia's eyebrows were furrowed. "I don't want to be demoted back to probatio. I feel like there's some kind of ass kicking limit."

Frank gave a startled laugh. "You would kick someone's ass for that?"

Thalia shrugged. "I've done it for less."

Frank shook his head. "You know, it's kind of funny." She spared him a quick glance before she turned her attention back to the highway and switched lanes. "I never met Jason, but I've seen pictures. He looks like the all-American boy, and you look like you rob all-American boys at knifepoint."

He was glad when she didn't take offense. Instead, she just smirked like she agreed with him.

"I remember he had a good heart," she remarked softly.

Her tone almost through him for a loop. He had to lean forward to glance at her face and make sure it was still her.

"He didn't have a lot of common sense, though," she said, and Frank was glad her voice was firm again. "He cried whenever his stuffed animals wouldn't drink from his bottle, and he tried to eat a stapler when he was two."

"Really?" Frank tried not to laugh at Jason's expense, but it was really rather funny. The mighty missing praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata had tried to eat a stapler?

"Yep," Thalia remarked simply. By her expression, Frank could tell she was done opening up for the day. "So, enough about me. How did _you_ find your way to Camp Jupiter?"

Frank swallowed. He told her everything, from his mother's funeral and Lupa showing up on his doorstep to arriving at camp. He didn't know why he bothered answering. Every time he told someone about his mother, they eyed him with so much pity it made him hate himself a little bit. Thalia surprised him when she nodded understandingly, and for a moment he saw the same glimpse of pain he knew was in his own eyes.

"What about your mom?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject. "Do you remember her?"

Frank recoiled at the look in her eyes. The pain was gone and, in its wake, it only left the evilest look he had ever seen anyone give.

"If that was any of your business, Percy—"

She stopped herself from continuing, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. Frank almost thought it was going to break under her grip.

Wait, what had she called him?

"Percy? Who's—?"

Her knuckles were white.

"I don't know," she snapped. "Just drop it."

"But—"

" _Frank_."

His mouth snapped shut, and he reclined against the leather seat. He nervously crossed his arms over his chest. It was several minutes of quiet Blink 182 songs before he managed to speak to her again. He just couldn't leave it on this kind of note. "I'm sorry," his voice was hardly a whisper, "I didn't mean to bring up anything bad—I had to stop thinking about her."

The anger washed slowly from Thalia's features and she nodded once, stiffly, to show she forgave him. He hoped that's what that meant.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Cool. So, um..." What was an appropriate line of conversation for an amnesiac hero?

"If you ask me about the weather, I'm going to electrocute you."

Frank self-consciously patted his his jacket. He felt the wrapped stick snug in its inside pocket. If Thalia electrocuted him, she could seriously end his life.

They drove in silence all the way through Sonoma. Frank felt restless, but judging by Thalia's constant shifting, he guessed her ADHD far exceeded his boredom.

He glanced at the handy-dandy GPS that had come equipped with the car Thalia stole. According to the built-in screen, they had 8 hours to go until they reached Oregon. Then, it would be another 6 hours to get to Seattle. Basically, it didn't look like they would be getting to Alaska in time. He almost suggested that Thalia steal a plane next, but he realized being on the news for grand theft probably wasn't the best way for demigods to lay low.

Thalia scared him when she took her hands off the wheel, fiddling for something below her feet. She reclined her seat a little bit, allowing her to stretch her long legs. She was so tall, it didn't hinder her driving at all.

"Where are we?"

Hazel was yawning.

"Almost out of Sonoma," Frank answered. "You haven't slept very long. You can go back to sleep if you want."

Hazel smiled a sweet smile, but she looked a bit shaken up. "That's okay. I'd rather stay awake." She leaned forward, pulling off her seat-belt. Her nose scrunched up. "What on earth are we listening to?"

Thalia gave her an offended look. "Bad Religion."

"Can't you play something a little..."

"A little what?"

"...nicer?"

"You guys are lame," Thalia remarked, huffing, but she changed the station. "Here, listen to the news."

Hazel rolled her eyes, reaching for the dial. She eventually grasped it, and she tuned it until she heard something familiar. Frank watched her face constrict, her brows coming together and her pretty lips pulling into something that resembled a frown.

"Frank Sinatra?" Frank recognized the voice. "What's wrong?"

And a wall shot up. Even though it was a sturdy wall, it was pretty transparent.

"Nothing," Hazel lied, flipping the station again and settling on something they could all agree on—alternative rock. She wasn't too fond of new music, but Nico had played it so often that she had gotten pretty used to it.

Thalia grumbled curses under her breath and Frank was about to ask before he heard the offending growl of her stomach.

"We can stop for food," Frank suggested.

Thalia flashed him an irritated look. "No, we really can't."

Frank released a disappointed sigh, but thankfully Hazel stepped up to the plate.

"Thalia," her voice seemed to have a bit more of an effect. It at least caused Thalia to spare her an attentive glance. "We're all pretty hungry."

Thalia hummed thoughtfully. Frank couldn't believe his ears. Maybe she wasn't as immune to Hazel's innocent, genuine charm as she pretended to be. He knew he sure wasn't.

"Just a quick bite," Hazel continued. "We can get cheeseburgers or something."

The tires whined as Thalia cut into the turning lane, preparing to make a U-turn.

Hazel hid her triumphant smile, but Frank couldn't help his.

"Fine," Thalia grumbled as she pulled into a drive-thru. "But only because you said cheeseburgers."

She pulled up to the speaker. No one else was in line or even parked outside, which should have been their first indication that something was amiss, but they were all too hungry to pay it any mind.

"Hi! Welcome to Kelli's Burgers," a voice poured over the speaker. "Can I take your order?"

It sounded like one of the preppy girls in school that had called him Jackie Chan.

"Two double cheeseburgers," Thalia ordered effortlessly. She hadn't even looked at the menu. Not that it would help if she had. She told Frank, for some reason, she had trouble deciphering English. "A bottle of water."

Frank leaned over her a little bit to place his and Hazel's orders.

By the time they pulled up to the window, all the hairs on Thalia's neck rose and she tensed, her hands subtly removing her mace canister from her jacket.

"What?" Frank whispered urgently. He really hoped she didn't sense a monster. He was really hungry.

Thalia snarled. "Stay quiet, Frank," she advised. "I can handle this."

She was ready the second they reached the window. In one fluid motion, she managed to yank the bag from the creature's hands, avoiding its fangs, and she thrust her spear through its face. It dissolved into yellow powder and before it could reform, Thalia sped away.

Frank tore into the bag hungrily, his brain not entirely processing what just took place.

Hazel breathed shakily. "What was that thing?"

"Empousa," Thalia answered easily, somehow managing to steer while she devoured a cheeseburger. "Don't worry. With that goat leg, she won't be able to keep up."

Frank hesitated, halting his own chewing. "Wait...should we be eating this? What if it's poisoned?"

"Damn," Thalia considered his paranoia before she took another bite. "Well, it tastes decent. If it tasted incredible, then I would be worried. That's how you know something is poisoned."

She spoke like a wise grandfather telling stories from his childhood.

"Have you been poisoned before?" Frank asked in surprise.

It didn't surprise him when she didn't answer.

The rest of their ride to Oregon was filled with awkward conversation between him and Hazel, and grumblings from Thalia for them to "stop being gross."

Shortly after Hazel did, Frank started to drift off to sleep. He felt bad for Thalia, as she was the only one of the three who couldn't properly rest her eyes.

Before he could offer to take over, he slipped into Morpheus' realm.

* * *

Frank wasn't sure where they were when the car broke down. It was a new car, just manufactured this past year, so he didn't see how it had just...stopped.

He wished he was a son of Vulcan. Then he could just tear it apart and rebuild it, be the savior of their trip, and customize it to reach 1,000 miles an hour.

But he wasn't.

No, his dad wasn't Vulcan. Or Apollo. Or Mercury. He was the son of Mars Ultor, a god of violence, of strife.

Yeah, Frank was bitter about that.

Thalia struggled under the hood for half and hour before she got frustrated and slammed the hood, informing her companions that it was not an electric issue so she wasn't going to be able to fix it.

So, there they were, walking.

Thalia's combat boots trudged loudly through the mud, and it was all Frank could hear, resounding in his brain. When they had first met, before they had crossed the Little Tiber, Thalia had been like a gazelle, so light on her feet it was almost like they never touched the ground. He wondered about what Juno had said, about the blessing of Artemis. Did that have something to do with it?

They were literally in the middle of nowhere, still far from Alaska, and the only establishment for miles was a tiny little grocery store with a giant rainbow casting down in front of the entry way. By demigod standards, it didn't look like a safe bet.

RAINBOW ORGANIC FOOD AND LIFESTYLES.

As they stepped through the door, the lights came on. He instantly felt like he was at a hippie festival. Light flute music started playing from unseen speakers and it sounded so clear, he was sure there was a live band at first. It looked like a Whole Foods ran by potheads. It was the best way Frank could explain it. There were healthy, unappetizing groceries, but there were also tie-dye clothes and trinkets like wind chimes, keychains, and homemade candles.

"We should rest," Hazel said. "Just for a while. Try to figure out where we are."

Frank nodded in agreement, and they navigated their way between two Neptune statue fountains. That was another _uh-oh_ sign for a demigod. Frank was relatively at ease because Thalia didn't seem to sense anything was amiss.

A girl popped up rather suddenly, appearing behind a barrel of organic oats. "Can I help you?"

Frank couldn't stop himself. He fell backwards in surprise, knocking over one of the fountains. He winced as he heard it fall to the floor. Neptune's head tumbled off and water spewed from the break, coating the floors.

"Sorry!" Frank apologized quickly. He tried in vain to clean up his mess, shoving Neptune's head back onto the bust.

"It's okay!" the girl laughed. "Hold it!"

Frank was so red in the face the others probably wouldn't be able to recognize him.

The girl clapped her hands and the fountain dissolved into mist. "Really, it's not a problem," the girl continued, undeterred by the surprised looks on their faces. "Those Neptune fountains are so grumpy, they bum me out."

Frank tried to focus enough to respond, but he was entranced by her appearance. She was obviously not human. Her eyes changed colors from black, to white, to gray. Her irises were washed out. She was dressed in hiking boots, tan cargo shorts, and a yellow shirt that read: ROFL. He assumed that stood for _Rainbow Organic Food and Lifestyles,_ and not _rolling on the floor laughing._

"Don't worry," she continued. "Demigods are welcome here! Take your time and browse. You should try our new foot scrub, it's made from all-natural Minotaur—"

"Fleecy!" a voice called from the back. "Don't scare the customers, now. Bring them here, will you?"

"Your name is Fleecy," Hazel remarked. It wasn't really a question.

Fleecy giggled. "Well, in the language of the _nebulae_ , it's actually—" a bunch of crackling and blowing noises erupted from her mouth so quickly, Frank wasn't sure what to make of it. "But you can call me Fleecy."

" _Nebulae_ ," Thalia remarked, obviously recognizing the term. "You're a cloud nymph."

Fleecy smiled, all teeth, obviously pleased. "I know of you. You are the daughter of Zeus. We are both born of the skies." Her smile didn't go away. "I like this one! Come, my boss would love to meet you!"

Wait...did she say Zeus?

He looked to Thalia for confirmation, but she was too busy following Fleecy, a satisfied smirk on her usually stern features.

The first thing Frank thought when he met _the boss_ was that she looked strangely familiar. She had long black hair, a little messy. She wore rimless glasses that she somehow pulled off, and an assortment of jewelry, all made up of precious minerals like amber and turquoise. As he looked closer, he started to shake. The way she only smiled with one corner of her mouth, the warmth projected in her dark brown hues. She reminded Frank of his mother.

"Hello!" the woman greet, over-enthusiastic. She seemed oblivious to Frank's internal plight. "So glad you're here. I'm Iris."

"I know you," Thalia said thoughtfully. "I've met you."

Iris nodded, seemingly ecstatic that Thalia recognized her, almost like it was an honor. "Yes, yes! You are with Artemis. You caught the Ceryneian hind." She looked to Frank and Hazel and bragged to them, "Artemis _loves_ our uncured hind jerky."

"Aren't you..." Hazel had trouble getting the words out whenever Iris turned her warm gaze on her. "Aren't you the rainbow goddess?"

"Well, that's my official job, yes," Iris admitted, her face scrunched. "But I don't define myself by my corporate identity. In my spare time, I run this!" She gestured proudly. "The R.O.F.L Co-op, an employee-run cooperative promoting healthy alternative lifestyles and organic foods."

"Guess that means you don't have cheeseburgers," Thalia commented dejectedly.

"Oh, on the contrary, my dear!" Iris snapped her fingers and a box of frozen wanna-be burgers appeared on the counter in front of them. "All-natural seaweed burgers."

Thalia flinched. "Sea...weed...?"

Iris nodded slowly. "Seaweed, yes, with 13 essential vitamins packed into each bite. Gluten-free, with no added preservatives!"

"Yummy," Thalia deadpanned.

Iris was clearly about to agree when she was stopped by a thunderous noise. Frank looked at Thalia, thinking she had been the cause, but she looked just as confused as he did. They heard it again, and Frank realized it wasn't thunder. It was footsteps. Large, _giant_ footsteps.

"Hide," Fleecy warned. "Hide, demigods, now!"


	7. Thalia IV

**Chapter Summary** : Thalia's plan is not really planned.

Contains something from my thalianca one-shot, "Stuck on You."

* * *

Thalia couldn't stop hyperventilating.

None of this made any sense to her. Everything was so very wrong, it sent her mind spiraling at 70mph, and her lungs were trying desperately to keep up.

Centaurs, cyclopes, dracnae, and various other creatures, even some Thalia didn't recognize, marched in the ravine. This had to be the army Juno warned about. The army that was heading towards Reyna.

"Centaurs," Thalia managed. "Good guys...they trained heroes...why?"

Frank choked. "That's not what I learned. Centaurs are always getting drunk and killing heroes."

Thalia got another flash. She had fought alongside centaurs hadn't she?

"Chiron," she muttered, but if her companions overheard they didn't show it. "Gods...I don't..."

Hazel gripped her forearm. "Let them pass," she whispered. "It's okay."

Towards the back of the army, Thalia spotted him. Twenty feet tall and armored. Huge snakes slithered from his head, and he looked like something that had washed up on a beach somewhere. If he was half as smelly as he looked, Thalia was sure his stench alone could kill most of Camp Jupiter.

Not a real refreshing thought.

"Polybotes," Hazel informed them. "Bane of Neptune."

"Poseidon," Thalia translated shakily. "God of the Sea."

"He sure looks like he came from the sea," Frank replied, scrunching his nose in disgust. "Crap. Thalia, you might not want to look."

"Daughter of Jupiter!" Even through the walls of the storefront, they shook from his bellow.

Polybotes had found their abandoned car. He crushed it beneath his heel, tugging some of the reptiles from his head, whispering to them, and flinging them into the tall grass.

"What are those?"

"Basilisks," Hazel said. "I—I learned about them in monster class at camp. They're poisonous and breathe fire."

"The poison isn't dangerous enough?" Frank muttered.

"Oh, great," Fleecy muttered angrily. "Now they're headed this way."

Thalia was dizzy and Hazel's grip was the only thing keeping her grounded, but she managed to meet Fleecy's irritated gaze. "Sorry."

Fleecy shrugged. "It's not you. Monsters always think they can just waltz right in here, knock down all the shelves, and they never bother to pay."

Iris cleared her throat. "I can handle this, Fleecy."

Thalia buried her face in her hands as more images assaulted her. She fell to the floor and Hazel was unable to support her weight.

Fleecy dropped to her knees. "Oh, goodness, your friend doesn't look too well. I need to run and get her some herbal tea."

 _"Thalia, you are far too confident of your abilities. It makes you impulsive."_

 _"To manipulate the Mist, all you must do is simply will it so, trust in what you say, and snap your fingers. Go on now, child. Try."_

 _"You and Percy are natural enemies, but you are very much alike. You will either be the best of friends, or you will end up killing one another."_

 _"Your mother, child...she has passed away. I am sorry. It is too late."_

 _"You will always have a home here at Camp Half-Blood."_

Thalia gasped as her mouth was pried open by delicate hands. Something warm was poured down her throat, and she couldn't help but swallow it.

"It's okay," Frank said. "The army marched on."

"That's not good news," Thalia griped. "It just means Polybotes is that much closer to Reyna."

Before she could amend "Reyna" to "Camp Jupiter," Fleecy was pouring more tea into her.

Hazel looked a little curious at the use of the praetor's name, but she thankfully left it alone.

"Iris made this killer rainbow," Frank explained further. "It disintegrated any monster that came close. Polybotes ordered them to keep moving."

Fleecy looked proud of her mistress. Iris dusted her hands off on her long, tie-dye skirt.

Iris kneeled in front of Thalia and pressed fingers to her temple. "Memory sickness," she mused to herself. "Are you feeling better, huntress?"

Thalia nodded shakily. "I'm just...dizzy."

She knew dizzy didn't even begin to cover it, but her friends already looked nervous enough. The last thing they needed was an amnesiac having a panic attack.

"Then we have a lot to talk about," Iris chirped. "Follow me."

* * *

"You're going to need help locating Thanatos," Iris began. "I am strictly nonviolent, unless in terms of self-defence, but I can offer you some advice."

"You know where he is?" Frank guessed.

"No," Iris admitted, gazing at him thoughtfully. "Alaska is beyond our sphere of control. But there is somebody who would know. Seek out the seer Phineas. He is blind, but he can see the past, present, and future. He knows many things that the gods do not. He can tell you where Thanatos is being held."

"Phineas," Frank echoed. "I remember something about him. A story."

"In the old days," Iris said, nodding in agreement. "He committed horrible crimes. He used his gift of sight for evil. Jupiter sent the harpies to plague him."

Thalia winced. Phineas wasn't going to be too fond of her.

"The Argonauts, including your ancestor, Frank, the Prince of Pylos, drove the harpies away in exchange for Phineas's help. That was eons ago, but Phineas has returned to the mortal world. You will find him in Portland, Oregon."

"That's on our way anyway," Thalia noted, nodding. "Maybe I can beat some answers out of him."

Iris hesitated. "However you chose to enlist his help, you must promise me one thing. If he is still plauged by harpies, do not kill them, no matter what Phineas promises you. The harpies are not evil. They are my sisters."

"I swear," Thalia recited like she had done it a thousand times already, "on the River Styx."

The ground rumbled, but Iris leaned back in her wicker chair, placated.

"One more thing," she said, turning her attention to Frank. "You will have to clear those basilisks off the hill."

"Fire-breathing, poisonous snakes," Frank clarified slowly. "I have to deal with them."

"They would be terrible for business," Iris reasoned. "Besides, you won't be able to leave until they're gone. If your friends try to battle them...well, I foresee bad things happening. Frank, only you have the ability to kill the monsters." She looked at his spear meaningfully. "I wish there was another way. If you had some weasels, for instance. Weasels are deadly to basilisks."

"Fresh out of weasels," Frank admitted.

"Then you will have to use your father's gift."

Frank rose unsteadily. "How do I use my spear?"

"Hold on," Thalia argued, rising from her seat. "Frank isn't going out there without back-up."

"Thalia," Iris looked almost sad. "Daughter of Z—Jupiter. You face many challenges. You will play a very important role. It would be a shame if you died at the fangs of a basilisk."

The goddess laughed and it sounded like bells. "Besides, Artemis might stop buying from our store if I let her lieutenant melt her own face off."

Thalia paled, taking her seat again. If what Iris had foreseen was her getting her face burnt off, then who was she to argue?

Sure, she didn't like leaving Frank to battle them alone, but she felt like they could trust Iris. The goddess seemed confident that Frank would succeed.

Trying to have a little faith in someone that wasn't herself for once, Thalia wished him luck.

* * *

Portland was not like she imagined. At all. It was relatively quiet, and most of the buildings surrounding them were coffee shops and antique stores. She wasn't quite sure what she had expected, but it wasn't this.

After they managed to steal yet another vehile, their feet throbbing in pain from sprinting for so long, it had been a four hour drive from Medford to Portland.

Phineas, however, well he was exactly how she imagined. He was ugly, and old, and plagued by harpies. It was obvious he was blind. He was chasing off the harpies with a weed whacker and, 8 times out of 10, he missed. He hadn't seemed to notice the demigods yet.

Frank flinched when Phineas landed a lucky hit on an unsuspecting harpy. The harpy screamed, something that boiled Thalia's blood, and flew away.

"They're trying to take his food," Hazel noted.

Thalia nodded. Everything smelled so good, she couldn't blame the harpies. "It's not like he needs it," she remarked hatefully. "C'mon, let's go pummel him for answers."

"Maybe that's not such a good idea," Frank spoke up. His eyes flashed nervously when she spun quickly to look at him. "Um, I mean, it's just...maybe we should try reasoning with him first? He has a weed whacker."

Hazel nodded in agreement. "I don't think pummeling him would be very effective."

"It'd be fun," Thalia muttered, but she acquiesced. "Alright, c'mon. Let's go _reason_ him to death."

Thalia stormed towards the ruckus, snatching a burrito from a table and unwrapping it. Phineas heard the crinkling of the aluminum and furrowed his brows, narrowing his milky white eyes in her direction.

"Chicken," he snarled, making his way towards her with his weapon of choice. He moved with all the grace of an elephant on roller blades.

"If you whack me, old man, harpies are going to be the least of your worries," Thalia warned, taking a bite out of the burrito. _Mmm_. She felt bad that the harpies had to miss out on this. She wasn't exactly big on sharing—it was a fuzzy memory, but she was pretty sure she had actually skipped that day in kindergarten to wrestle snakes—but she tore off a couple pieces of her burrito and flung them on the ground for the hungry harpies.

"No, demigod!" Phineas shrieked. "These harpies have been torturing me for millenia! They are finally feeling my vengence!"

"Calm down," Thalia said between bites. She wasn't sure how she did it, but she waved her hand, dismissing the harpies. They cocked their heads in slight interest before they obeyed, flying off. "They're gone. We have a lot to talk about, Ferb."

"Phineas," he corrected, practically hissing. "How did you do that?"

Thalia shrugged. She realized he couldn't see the notion, so it was a waste of time. "As amazing as I am, that's not what we're here to talk about."

He sniffed the air, his lips snarling. "You're a daughter of Jupiter." He cursed under his breath, which no doubt smelled of mushroom soup and denture cream. "How dare you come to me! Your father cursed me to be plagued by these harpies! All because he feared my power—"

"Are you done?" Thalia asked, irritated. "I'm not here to punish you. Sadly."

Hazel's fingers twitched and Frank crossed his arms over his chest. Thalia felt safe knowing her friends were ready to step in if necessary.

"I have been punished enough," Phineas snapped. He cackled, and the sound was as bitter as anti-freeze. "It is true that Jupiter cursed me. The gods were angry. I revealed too many secrets. For example, you, Hazel Levesque, are supposed to be dead," he quipped, turning his gaze to Frank. "And your lifeline depends on a piece of wood."

That didn't surprise Thalia. The way Hazel talked, the way she had reacted in the car, the times she had seemed to almost blackout—well, it was all too familiar. It was clear Hazel was placed out of her time.

But Frank? Well, she wasn't sure what Phineas meant about his lifeline but it didn't sound very good.

Phineas seemed to have a bit of fun poking and prodding into Thalia's future. "You are going to lose your life, Daughter of Jupiter." He smiled like he was maintaining a friendly conversation. "Does a vow mean nothing to you?"

"Shut up," Thalia cut him off, angry mostly at herself for letting his words have an effect on her. "I'm here to make a deal," Thalia continued, unaffected by his seething curses. "I need to know where the giants are hiding Thanatos."

Phineas chortled, but he took a seat at a plastic table. "Oh, I knew something was different about you," he said. "Your scent is off, but I still sense it. You're not Roman at all, are you? No, Romans do not compromise. Greeks, on the other hand..." Phineas smiled, and it looked very similar to a hyena. "Greeks aren't exactly fun to make deals with."

"You have my word," Thalia interrupted, very aware of the bewildered stares she received from her friends. "What do you want?"

She wondered if Phineas would puke if he could see himself now—thin mouth pulling skyward to reveal cracked and browning teeth. "One of the harpies is faster than the others," he explained, leaning back in his white plastic chair. It looked like it would crack beneath his weight at any second. "You saw her, I'm sure. She almost made off with a slice of delicious pizza."

"The red one," she remarked stupidly, realizing he wouldn't exactly know the color of her feathers. "I mean, the one you injured."

"Yes," he hissed. "She escapes me every time! If you capture her and bring her to me, I will give you the answers you seek."

Thalia nodded. She realized he couldn't see that, either. Gods, she was insensitive.

"You got it," she said. "But we'll need some more food."

Phineas looked reluctant, but he nodded his permission. Not that she needed it.

Frank and Hazel stuffed different types of food into their bags, thankfully understanding that Thalia deemed this a good opportunity to stock up. She snatched a granola bar up and they marched through Portland, searching for signs of the harpy. She couldn't have traveled very far—not with an injured wing and an empty stomach, anyway.

"There she is," Frank motioned.

Thalia still couldn't see what he was talking about. Her vision had to be as strong as Phineas's.

"On the playground," Frank continued, realizing she hadn't spotted her.

Thalia hummed, picking up her pace. Now that she was close, she could really make out some of the harpy's features. She had the head and torso of a human, but the legs and wings of a chicken. Her hair was a startling red that matched her feathers, and she was scrawny and fidgeting. It was no wonder, with the way Phineas was starving them.

Hazel cleared her throat. "We aren't really...giving her over to him, right? You saw the way he was treating them." She shook her head at the mere thought. "That man—he needs to die. Again."

"We'll think of something," Thalia assured. "Even if he has to have her just long enough to tell me what I need to know. We can free her afterwards."

"That can't work," Frank said. "Phineas can see the past, present, and future, remember? He already seems suspicious of you." He leaned forward to whisper, like there would be dire consequences if his voice was heard. "He called you a _Greek._ "

"I could call him a lot worse," she dismissed. "Look, how else are we supposed to do this?"

"Chance," the harpy's voice surprised all of them. She looked like she was about to scurry off again.

Thalia couldn't let that happen.

She hurriedly unwrapped the granola bar. "Hey, chick," she said, ignoring Frank's suppression of laughter. "What's your name?"

"Name?" the harpy echoed. "Name, name. _100,000 + Baby Names: The Most Complete, Fascinating, and Helpful Name Book You Can Find_." She shifted her feet on the monkey bars. "Ella."

Thalia's lips quirked. "Ella," she repeated. "Are you hungry, Ella?"

"Hungry," the harpy repeated. "Hungry by H.A. Swain." She cocked her head to the side. "Thalia Apple?"

"No," Thalia murmured, confused. She gestured with the food. "Granola bar. Not an apple."

"I think that's a book," Hazel muttered, and Thalia was stuck by the intense glimmer in her eyes. She couldn't tell if they were marred by tears or peppered by the light drizzle. "Thalia Apple must be the main character."

Thalia hummed thoughtfully, making it look like she was actually thinking something besides: _Eat the freaking granola bar, Ella, so we can get the Hades out of here._

"Let me try," Hazel urged, gently plucking the granola bar from Thalia's hands. "She seems a little intimidated by you."

Hazel smiled gently. "Ella, it's okay. We just want to be your friend. We brought you food."

"Granola?" Ella asked, sniffing the air. She hesitantly wobbled forwards. "Granola is very good for harpies."

She snatched the bar before any of them could blink.

Thalia sensed the hungry harpies circling above and she glared at them one good time and it was enough to send them flying. She realized it was probably a daughter of Jupiter thing.

She almost jumped in her skin when she realized Ella was staring at her helplessly, munching on the granola bar. " _A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds_. Sixteen. You're sixteen. Page sixteen, _The Enchanted Broccoli Forest._ Potato and chile soup."

Thalia barely caught herself against the side of the slide. Her ears rang, and she felt so lightheaded she was sure her nose was going to start bleeding. "Ella," her voice seemed to spook the harpy, who shifted her gaze. "What...what did you just say?"

"Potato," Ella answered. "Chile."

"No, not that," Thalia said, shaking her head almost frantically. She felt a familiar darkness clasp her heart, tightening it in its fist until her pulse jumped and her blood rushed to her pounding head. "Those lines. I know those lines. They...they're part of a prophecy."

 _"I don't know the prophecy. I just know one of us is going to save Olympus...or destroy it."_

Percy.

" _No,"_ Thalia had said to a cute girl with curly black hair. She had eyes like Nico—like coal, like the smoke of an oil fire. _"Really. There's some big prophecy that pretty much says I'm going to destroy the world when I turn sixteen. Rough, huh?"_

The girl agreed. _"No pressure. Well, if it's any consolation, I don't think you're going to destroy the world."_

" _Thanks, B."_

"B," Thalia said aloud, receiving a rather strange look from Hazel. She didn't have time to wonder what it meant. "Sorry. Where did Ella go?"

"She got scared by your freak out," Frank said. He pointed to the top of a three-story brick building. "She's up on the roof."

Thalia took off quickly, angry at herself for losing her focus yet again.

"Multnomah County Library," Frank translated for them as soon as the approached the doors. "It looks like it's open."

The library was huge. For some reason, it made Thalia think of Annabeth again. Most of her flashbacks were like that—she would see something that reminded her of someone in particular, and it would trigger a plethora of emotions, most of which she wasn't prepared to feel.

"Let's find a way to the roof," Thalia suggested, already navigating through the stacks. She couldn't afford to keep falling into her memories. As much as she wanted to remember _everything_ , it wasn't exactly safe for her to lose her focus in the middle of a treacherous quest. "Found the stairs!"

Hazel was the first to approach Ella again. "Ella, hi. Sorry we scared you."

Frank pointed to the books surrounding Ella. Some of them were torn to shreds, missing half or more of their pages. "These things she's been saying—they're coming from books. She has all these memorized?"

Thalia picked up a copy of _A History of Horseracing._ "Ella, do you remember the third paragraph on page sixty-two?"

"Secretariat," Ella filled in. "Favored three to two, in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, finished at standing track record of one fifty-nine and two fifths."

Thalia slammed the book shut and tossed it on the ground. She scoffed in disbelief. "Verbatim."

"Amazing," Hazel breathed.

"She's a genuis chicken." Frank.

Thalia didn't like this. It was no wonder Phineas wanted to capture her. It wasn't because she had tortured him or even because she had tried to steal his food. Ella was special. If she could memorize books—if she was reciting _prophecies—_ well, she probably knew a lot of things other people didn't. Things that Phineas didn't know. That made her a powerful asset to possess. Thalia thought about the possibilities, but quickly shook off her thoughts. She would never wish harm on Ella, but she could admit that the harpy was valuable.

"Ella," Thalia began again, sighing when the harpy flinched again.

"Just...speak really soft," Hazel suggested politely, smiling reassuringly when Thalia spared her an impatient glance. "You have a really commanding voice. You probably sound too much like the Big Man himself."

Thalia released a breath but nodded. She cleared her throat, edging closer. She tried not to look like a mountain lion as she did so. "Ella," her voice didn't even sound familiar, "I want to help you. We're going to break this curse. We need to figure out a way to beat...Phineas."

Ella shook her head wildly. "N-n-no! No Phineas. Ella is quick. Too quick for him. But he wants to ch-chain Ella. He hurts Ella."

"I won't let him hurt you," Thalia replied vehemently. Hazel's concerned glance reminded her to soften her voice again. "I need you to help us. You know his weaknesses, Ella. How can we defeat him?"

"N-no, tricks are for kids. _50 Tricks to Teach Your Dog,_ by Sophie Collins, call number six-three-six—"

"Okay, Ella," Hazel said patiently. Her voice sounded like honey, soft, smooth, and slow. Deliberate. "But does Phineas have any weaknesses?"

"Blind. He's blind."

Thalia and Frank both rolled their eyes at one another.

"Right," Hazel said calmly. "Besides that?"

"Chance," Ella said. Hadn't she said something about that on the playground? "Games of chance. Two to one. Bad odds. Call or fold."

Thalia's lips tugged into a smirk. "He's a gambler?" she asked. "He can't predict a game of chance?"

Ella explained, but Thalia's devious mind was already churning.

"Phineas sees the future," she summarized. "He sees important things. But he can't see small things, like random occurrences, games of chance. It makes gambling fun for him." Thalia smirked, rubbing her hands together. "He won't be able to resist."

Hazel nodded like it was starting to make sense to her, too. Thalia wouldn't be surprised if she had already come to that conclusion before them all. "If he loses, he has to tell us where Thanatos is. But what do we have to wager?"

"Life or death," Thalia responded a bit too quickly. "The prize has to be something Phineas wants."

"Not Ella," Hazel said. She was already gently pouring nectar over the harpy's wounds.

Thalia couldn't bring herself to disagree. "What else would he want?"

"Sight," Ella answered. "Sight is good for blind men. But nope, nope. Gaea won't do that for Phineas. Gaea keeps Phineas blind, dependent on Gaea. Yep."

Frank's eyes shot wide open. "I know," he said excitedly. He looked a bit guilty as he pulled two vials from his jacket. "Gorgon's blood."

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Here's some Latin for you, Roman. _Ad victorem spolias._ To the victor go the spoils."

"I'm sorry," Frank managed. He visibily paled, and his throat bobbed. "I just—I—"

"Whatever. I probably couldn't be trusted with it anyway." She narrowed her eyes in warning. "Just don't do it again, or so help me—"

Frank saluted shakily. "You got it, boss."

"Hand 'em over," she commanded. "I got a plan and it doesn't involve letting you two die."

"What about you?" Hazel asked worriedly, but it mostly sounded like a challenge.

But Thalia was already hurrying down the stairwell.


End file.
